Strange Fate
by JazzAlazz
Summary: Over 1 year has went by after Breaking Dawn ended and word about vampire hybrids has spread throughout the supernatural community. How will the Cullens and the wolves keep Renesmee safe? Will they run into more of her kind? Will the Vultori come back? Will Renesmee choose Jacob? Who has been in their beach house on Ilse Esme while they were in Forks? Come find out!
1. Looking Back

**Chapter 1: Looking back**

**Bella's POV**

The sun was shining brightly today. Unusually bright for Forks even in the month of May. My skin glistens in an array of blinding, diamond-like rays as I rock in a chair on the back porch. It is a quiet day, if you can ignore the screams and laughter of my family that is.

I watch as my only daughter is being chased around the yard by her uncles, Jacob, and Seth. She loves play time with them and it is a good way to get her energy out. Today they added a water fight to the fun to celebrate the rare case of sunshine. Renesmee loves the sun and the privacy of our own backyard is the only place we can enjoy it with her comfortably.

Looking at my maricle child, it's hard to believe it has been over one year since the Vultori encounter. She has grown so much since then. She is about a year and a half technically, but appears to be the age of about eight. Carlisle still assures us that she will stop aging when she turns seven and then she will join us in a lifetime of immortality and beauty with the rest of her family... I hope.

A hand placed on my shoulder brings me back from my thoughts. Knowing who it belonged to brought a smile to my face.

"What's on your mind Love?" My husband Edward asks. Taking a deep breath, I focus on pushing back my mental sheild to show him my thoughts. _What if they come back? What if other vampires out there become interested in her now that word is out? _

"Bella _please_, I know you're worried but you have to have faith." he states for the millionth time this year. "I will not let anyone ruin our happily ever after. I just won't. You have to trust me."

"I know, I know... I'm just..-"

"An overprotective mother who loves her child fiercely?"

I nod once while looking deeply into his eyes. He smirks.

"I know love, I feel the same... just the father version of it." he said that last part with a wink.

"Then you understand why I worry."

"Of course, but we need to be brave for her. Seeing us worried will not do her any good".

Sighing, I reply "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. Let's just enjoy today." Edward then pulls me out of the rocking chair to bring me into his embrace. He kisses me deeply as we share concern for our baby girl.

"Yeah! let's enjoy the day without you two getting all mushy!" My _annoying _big brother Emmett calls out to us. I rolled my eyes as I pulled away from the kiss.

Even though we've been married for almost two years, we're still in the honeymoon stage. I cannot get enough of him and the same goes for him with me. Life truly has been amazing since threats of impending doom are behind us. For now anyway...

**Edward's POV**

While I assure my wife there's nothing to fear when it comes to Renesmee's future, I cannot deny that I too have had some uneasy feelings. How could we not? We are her parents! It is our job to give her the best life she could have. To love her. To make sure she is safe at all times.

I take my own advice and clear my head of such thoughts. Her childhood will be short so I need to stay in these moments. I look over to my left where Esme, my mother for all intense and purposes, was standing. She was looking back at me with a hopeful smile. Always warm and loving.

_"Don't worry so much, she will be perfectly fine darling" _my mother thought to me._ "Not a single person in this family would think twice about giving their life for hers. She is our mericle too."_

I smiled at her to her know I heard her, then looked over at the rest of my family that was gathered on the porch. Carlisle was standing just behind Esme while Alice and Rosalie watched as their husbands acted like children. They were currently re-filling up the water guns; preparing for round two of their "battle". I guess having Renesmee around has really brought out the fun in us.

What used to be long, uneventful days repeated year after year, has turned into days that never seem to last long enough. Days filled with new excitement and fun. Not only with Renesmee, but oddly, with the wolves as well.

It was strange at first, but over time us Cullens and the wolves of LaPush have grown to actually like eachother. We no longer only tolerate eachother because we have to. The wolves are our friends... family even. I suppose we all have Renesmee to thank for that. We still are not allowed on their land due to the treaty, but Billy and Sam have made some exceptions for special occasions. Naturally, with Renesmee being Jacob's imprint, she is allowed to come and go as she pleases.

Seth especially has become close with us. Somehow he became everyones little brother. Being that he is always with Jacob and Jacob is always with my daughter, he has really become our family. He even sleeps here from time to time. Emmett seems to be enjoying his company the most. He finally has someone he can goof around with and be carefree. Of course it took Rose awhile longer than the rest of us to accept him, but after seeing how happy her husband is to have a friend, she started to love him too.

Esme absolutely adores Seth. Often I hear her thinking the word 'son' while thinking of Seth. Of course she knows he has a loving mother, Sue Clearwater, but that doesn't stop the maternal feelings she has for him. Sue is currently living with Charlie Swan, my father-in-law, so in a way Seth is Bella's brother now. Just another way to tie us together as family.

Leah Clearwater, on the other hand, did not take the news of becoming family with vampires lightly. Once she was told by her mother that they would be moving into the Swan household, she phased and ran away. She was gone in wolf form for about three months before she calmed down and ran back. Currently, she's doing better, but that doesn't stop her thoughts from being slighy rude. I can understand why. We are natural enemies after all. I just hope in the future she and Bella can become good friends. They will be step-sisters after all.

Yes that is correct, Charlie proposed to Sue just months after the Vultori left. She said yes and they moved in together shortly after. They are planning their wedding for this July witch is coming up in a couple of months. Naturally, my sweet yet pushy sister Alice took it upon herself to plan the whole thing. Everything is paid and prepared for, we are just waiting for the day to arrive. Sue didn't mind, she actually preferred not to be too involved. She's already been married once and doesnt care for the extra things; she just wants Charlie and a happy day with her family.

You could say things have been perfect for the past year and few months. Bella and I spend each day watching our baby girl grow and learn while our nights are spent cherishing eachother. Esme has people to cook for and dote on, which she loves to do. Being a vampire can be boring with nothing to fill your day with. Carlisle continues to work at the hospital and is proud of the family he has created. Alice has been watching the decisions of the Vultori closely to make sure they don't try anything in the future. Jasper keeps us sharp with fight training, just to keep us ready for anything that may come our way. Emmett is happy throwing around Seth and Renesmee (not too roughly) while Jacob makes sure the wolves are on a tight patrol schedual. True to his word, he would do anything to protect my daughter. A father cannot be mad about that.

That just leaves Rose. She loves Renesmee like her own and is thrilled she has a chance to love a child and watch her grow, but there are some days her thoughts trail down a gloomy road. She longs to be a mother with a child of her own. I do not know how that would be possible, but that doesn't stop me from asking whatever god exists that she too could experience a maricle.

"Are you guys just going to stand there like statues or are you going to have some fun!?" Emmett teased.

"Yea daddy! Come have some fun!" Renesmee shouted just before getting blasted in the face by a water gun.

"Emmett really? Her face? Take it easy man." Jacob scowled at Emmett as he went over to make sure she was ok.

"Jake I'm not a baby! Give me your gun I have to get him back!" My daughter snapped at him. Such a stong willed girl my child is. Definitely takes after her mother.

I let out a loud laugh as I approach them. "How about we all get him back. The three of us." I ask wiggling my eyebrows mastiviously.

"How about the four of us!" Seth came jogging up to our small group.

"Well you can count me in too. He needs to learn a little lesson." Japser is added as he joined our team.

Emmett begins cracking his knuckles "Well well, look at this. Five agaisnt one? Peice of cake!"

"Enough talk! Let's charge!" screams out my baby girl.

Like I said, life was perfect.


	2. Looking back Part 2

**Author's Note: Hello all! This is the very first time I've ever written a story**. **Like ever! I absolutely love the Twilight world! Ive read too many Twilight fanfics to count and decided it's time I take a crack at it. Always open to suggestions and comments, but I do already have strong vision on where this story is headed. I'm torn between wanting to set up a detailed story and wanting to jump right into the drama. Either way I hope you can enjoy this for I am enjoying the writting process.**

***I do not own Twilight***

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**Chapter 2:** **Looking back part 2**

**Jacob's POV:**

After the water battle was over and everyone was soking wet, Esme decided it was diner time; for those who ate food anyway. I walk over to Ness offering her a towel.

"Thanks Jake." she grabbed the towel from my hand and started drying off the best she could with wet clothes on.

"You really did a number on Emmett there, kiddo. I dont think he will be challenging you anytime soon." I chuckled

"Yea well he had it coming! He thinks just cuz he's the biggest, he will always win. Not on my watch. There's a new sheriff in town." She then imitated a cowboy walk twords the house.

Shaking my head as I watch her walk away, I think back to the days she was smaller. They weren't long ago considering she's not even two years old yet, but they do seem far away as I'm now looking at an eight year old... or maybe seven? I'm not great at guessing kid ages. All I know is shes growing extremely fast.

It turly has been a pleasure getting to watch her grow. I never really thought I'd actually imprint. Let alone on a baby. Especially on my best friend's daughter... but hey what can ya do? It wasn't my choice, but boy am I glad I did. I never would have thought I could be this happy... and with freaking vampires!? Wow how the times have changed.

So yea, things have been pretty weird since the Vultori left. Don't get me wrong they've been perfectly blissful and all that, but still weird. Let's see, where to start...

Seth and I have become family to the Cullens since we spend almost everyday here. It's definitely something we did not expect. Of course I will always be where my Nessie is, so I visit often. By visit I mean only leaving for patrol and to occasionally check on my dad or do other alpha/cheif related duties. Otherwise, I'm pretty much here most of the time. I even have a room I share with Seth in the main house. Weird, I know. It was really difficult for everyone to get used to the offensive smells of eachother, but I think almost facing death together has really bonded us.

I kinda felt bad at first knowing that this will be Bella and Edward's only shot at parenthood and here I am hogging all their daughter's time, but they assured me that I am welcome here, even without the connection I have to Ness. Honestly, I can't even picture life without being imprinted to her anymore. She's so amazing.

The reason I now have cheif duties is because I am being prepped for the Alpha role in the pack. Sam and I sat down about one year ago and discussed merging the packs back together. He then asked me (told me) it was time for me to be the official alpha. With my dad getting older, I will eventually be the cheif as well. We haven't actually merged the packs yet, so our wolf telepathy is still limited to our own packs and not the whole crew.

That is probably the weirdest part for me. I do not want to be cheif. At least not right now anyway. I want to spend my days with my angle. I do not want to be alpha of a big pack. I like my small pack how it is; just me, Seth, Leah, Quil, and Embry. Sam plans on settling down from the wolf stuff so he can start a family with Emily. I don't blame him. Being a wolf is no easy job. It's dangerous and time consuming. It is soley because of his excitement to become a father that I've agreed to take on such responsibility. We've decided to work together as co-alphas for the time being so I can get used to the role and because Sam's not ready to give up his wolf just yet.

Speaking of Leah, that's another... odd situation. She just up and left us after finding out her mom is going to be living with Charlie and getting married, making her officially family with a vampire. She phased and took off. Either myself or Seth would occasionally check in on her while we're phased. She would just yell at us to stay out of her head but that didn't stop us from seeing where she was and feeling her emotions. Wolf telepathy... yay.

As far as I could tell, she ran up to Canada, then back south into Minnesota. Why there? who the hell knows. I sure wasn't going to ask her either. I did catch glimpses of her lurking in the woods, trying to secretly catch the eye of any male who was close enough to the thick foliage. If I had to guess, that was her desperate attempt to imprint. Eventually she gave up, calmed down, and ran back. That was eight months ago. We don't really talk about it. It's kind of a taboo subject, but when she returned we accepted her with open arms, happy to have our sister back. I for one was happy to have my beta back. She's really great at bossing people around... not that I'm not, I just dont enjoy it the way she does.

As acting co-alpha, I've decided to implicate regular patrols around the res and the Cullen property. After those red eyed leaches left, we were all worried they might return. Alice can see the future and all but there are ways around her gift. After realizing Seth and I would be here so much, I called off patrols for the Cullen property and doubled down the patrols on the res. With Eight vampires and two wolves running around here, we've got it covered.

Though things are quiet and calm, I want us to stay on our toes. We've gotten popular with Nessie's little coming out party two winters ago. With the Vultori here and all those witnesses, word of the magical hybrid child spread. The fact that she is "gaurded" by eight vamps (her family) and a number of wolves makes her even more of a rarity.

Apparently it isn't normal for so many vamps to live together and especially not normal for them to be a "family". That alone draws attention. Adding the shock that warewolves actually exists, and our massive size, we've really made a name for ourselves. I know we're not ACTUALLY warewolves. We are shapeshifters, but to the leaches, it's all the same.

So yea, we've bumped into some strange characters since then. So far they've been friendly. By friendly I mean not trying to eat us. Nomadic bloodsuckers aren't really the friendly type.

When they showed up around Cullen territory, Carlisle greeted them warmly and invited them inside to share their story. With Edward reading their minds, creepy Jasper altering their emotions, and of course Alice "seeing" their decisions, there's not much danger to the visits. Adding Bella's sheild and Emmetts size, we're a force to be reckoned with.

When they've showed up on our territory, well... that's a whole other story. My wolves have the order to kill any red-eyed bloodsuckers on sight. Sam's pack has the same order. Being cool with vamps is fun and all, but it's still our job to protect our people. It's a good thing though- being able to kill vampires. It's our natural instinct and being all buddy-buddy with them feels like an itch you can't scratch. At least that's how most of the wolves from Sam's pack feels. My pack been getting spoiled by Esme so they've come around.

"Heelloooooo! Earth to Jake!" Nessie sings, trying to get my attention.

"Huh?" Dang how long have I been standing here?

"We're literally the only ones going to eat, well us and Seth, but hes already at the table so chop chop... Unless you're not hungry?" she smirked at me.

"The dog not hungry? Ha! That'll be the day" Laughed Rosalie.

"Can it blondie, I'm coming. Sheesh." Seriously though, what is with her? Even though were all cool with eachother, she still gets under my skin.

"Renesmee honey, you need to change into dry clothes before you eat. Come on, I'll help you." Bella holds a hand out for her daughter to take.

"Ugh! Mom! I am _not _a baby! When will you guys learn? You'd think with vampire brains you'd be able to remember that." Ness complained.

"Well being that you are not two years old, you are most definitely my baby." Bella pecks her on the forehead. "Now come along." I watch as Nessie is dragged into the house and up the stairs.

"Jacob, you could really use some dry clothes yourself. The water really brought out that dog smell dude." Joked Emmett.

"He's not joking, you smell terrible." Edward chimed in.

"Oh like you guys smell so good. Whatever, I could use a shower anyway." I rolled my eyes and proceeded to the bathroom.

So I guess things aren't as perfect as it seems. I don't care though. As long as I get to be with Ness everyday, I'll happily take the jabs they throw at me. Nothing can keep me from her. Not even eight crazy vampires.

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**A.N: Alrighty guys, tell me what ya think. Thank you for reading!**


	3. Carlisle's Theory

**A/****N: I am still getting used to this format on the fanfic app. I apologize if it uploads wonky.****This chapter is all in Renesmee's POV. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: **Carlisle's Theory

**Renesmee's POV:**

I hate human food. Well, not all of it I guess. Just almost all of it. It's gross and frankly, chewing the food puts me off. I'd much rather drink my meals. I've tried explaining this to my parents, but they want me to try everything before I disown "regular" eating habits.

They're always trying to make me do human things. Like sleep- okay well, I actually _do_ need sleep- eat food, and play safe. But I'm a vamprie for goodness sake! Okay, only half, but still! I'm not some fragile little thing and I most definitely am NOT A BABY! A glance in my father's direction told me thinks otherwise. *Eyeroll*

I was born with the brain compasity of an adult. I have perfect recall memory and I cannot forget anything, even if I tried. Like the time I tried to forget my mother actually _dated_ my best friend Jake. Gross. I know, but it had been before my parents were married and before I was born so It's all in the past now.

That doesnt mean I'm too happy about it. It's weird and honeslty I don't know why my dad's so cool with him being around so much knowing he used to like the love of his life. Im happy though, that Jake's allowed to be here so much. He's not only my best friend, but like my big brother. Being an only child could get lonely. I am never lonely when my Jakes around, and he's always with me.

I don't know what it is, but I just love being around him. He makes me laugh and always knows what I need. I guess that's due to the imprint. I was told imprinting is when a wolf finds his best friend for life. Once a wolf looks into the eyes of his imprint, they get to be best friends for ever. No one can come between them. At least that what Jake and my parents told me.

Sometimes I wonder what the reason for that is. Why do only wolves get to find a forever friend? No one else in my family got to find their best friend that way. I guess they don't need best friends cuz they're all married.

I wonder, will Jakey want to still be my best friend when he gets married too? He probably won't have much time for me anymore. I know all the married couples in this house are "glued at the hip" as my grandma Esme would put it.

He is a grown up and grown ups get married so I wonder when he will find a wife? I will just have to make a mental note to ask him that later. Right now I have to eat this mush.

Tonights torture method is tuna casserole. I can't even think the words without gagging. Why are they doing this to me? Don't they love me?

"Renesmee it is because we love you that you are going to eat human food. We have to nurture that side of you. It is part of your genetic makeup. You cannot ignore it forever."

Of course my dad was in my head. He's always in people's heads. How's a girl supposed to have privacy in a house full of awesomely-powered, supernatural beings.

"Children do not get the luxury of privacy dear. It is my job as a father, your father, to know everything." My dad reminded me... _Again._

"Don't worry about it kid, he's been practicing being a know-it-all long before you came around." Joked my uncle Emmett. "We were his test dummies. You'll get used to it" he shot a wink my direction.

"Still, a little privacy would be nice. I'm sure most kids don't have a mind-reading father."

"Most kids aren't half vampire either. That is why you're special." He had a pretty smug smile on his face. I guess I lost that debate. Dad- 927... Renessmee- 0. Ugh!

That's when my grandpa Carlisle had the best idea I've heard all year. "You know Renesmee, I do beleive with some training and proper guidance, you could access some of your mother's mental sheild capabilities."

A huge smile spread across my face. "Really?! Grandpa, you really think it's possible?"

"Well I don't see why not. We've already concluded that your gift can get through any sheild, which has to be part of your own sheild you've inherited from Bella. I think it's worth a shot."

At this, my father became a little uneasy. I could tell he's worried about me and just wants me to be safe. I was surprised that it was my mother to swoop in and save the day.

"Edward, think about it. She's growing up fast. By this time next year she should be going starting puberty. You don't _really _want to be inside of her head while she's going through... certain changes? Not to mention, her feelings? Feelings about a certain... um... person?" She added that last bit in a whisper. Like I couldn't hear. Pshk.

But wait. What did she mean by that? Feelings about who? I already knew of the changes my body will go through. I've read all the medical books in my grandpas collection. I've learned everything there is to know about the human body. But, I didn't ready anything about feelings for someone. Did Auntie Alice see something??

I look around at the rest of my family to see my Jake choking on his food. "Jakey, are you ok? You really shouldn't eat so fast." I tried patting him on his back to help get the food out of his airway.

"Yeah, _Jakey_." My Uncle Em teased. "Slow down there dude." Jacob shot a dirty look over to Emmett. What was that about?

That's when I noticed the rest of my family was looking... rather awkward. "What's going on? Why is everyone weird right now? And feelings for who, mom?" I demanded to know. Like seriously, I'm sitting right here.

"I just ment your feelings will change in general. Um... let's see... Renesmee, sweety, you know how all of us adults are married to someone we love?" My mother askes

I nod yes. Obviously I know how marriage works.

"Okay good. Well right now, you may not have any of _those_ feelings for anyone, but as you get older, you may develop a crush and even fall in love... When your much older." Boy, my mom seems nervous.

"...Okay...?" This is really awkard now. I should have just pretended I didnt hear her. Oh, she has more weird stuff to say.

"So when you go through these changes, it would be easier on your father's heart if he did not hear every little thing you're thinking... or feeling." My mom concluded. Goodness if vampires could sweat, she'd be dripping by now. Time to take this down a notch.

"Well lucky for you, the only boys I know are my family, Jacob, and the wolves. The wolves are like my brothers so you won't have to worry about my feelings changing for anyone. Plus, I spend all my time with Jake, where would I have time for a crush?" There, I think that was a good point to make. Like where do I even see boys?

Ok, why is Uncle Em laughing so hard?

"Jake, man you good? You don't look so good." He couldn't ask his question without laughing through it.

I place my hand on his cheek. _My Jake, are you ok? Was it something I said?_

"No honey, I'm fine, just having a hard time with the casserole is all." He assured me.

"Typical. The dog lacks table manners." Why is my Auntie Rose so mean to Jacob?

"Ok Renesmee. We will attempt to expand your gift. Do not get discouraged if it doesn't work, alright?" My father announced.

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I get up from my seat at the diner table to hug my dad. Then I hug my mom. This is going to be great!

Suddenly, my Uncle Jasper askes "Alice? What are you seeing?"

After a second pause, she replies "The Amazonians, Zafrina and Senna, they will be here in five weeks for a visit. I'm sure they would be able to help you expand your projection gift as well."

"Five weeks!? I want to start right now." I pouted. "I am excited to see them agian. It has been a long time. "

"We can still work on the mental sheild before they arrive. After diner, come up to my office and we can talk about it there. I have an idea." My grandpa is the best.

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I layed in my soft, cozy bed as I replayed todays events in my head. The water fight was really fun. I love the time I spend with my family. I just love being a Cullen.

The casserole was horrid but that was expected. Of course I cannot explain it that way because that would probably hurt my grandma Esme's feelings. She worked so hard to make us a good meal. Even though I hate human food, I still love that she cooks for me.

My grandpa came up with a theory on how to access my mental sheild. He believes if I start meditating, I can strengthen my mind. By having a strong mind, I would then be able to "block" my thoughts. It doesn't seem so hard.

I'm honestly upset no one thought of this sooner. Either way, I'm happy I have something to challenge myself with. I love a good challenge.

Now that just leaves the awkward dinner conversation. I know I insisit that I'm not a baby, but I don't necessarily think I'm an adult yet either. I mean, I am only 18 and 1/2 months old after all. Im pretty confident it's going to be a very long time before I develop mushy feelings for _anyone_.

I wonder if my mom thinks it will happen sooner than I expect? It's not like I can go to school and meet a boy there. I grow way too fast to been seen in public. My life has pretty much just been in this forest or on the reservation where Jake lives.

Also, I don't think any human boy would approach me with My Jake always hanging around. He is very large and intimidating. At least thats how humans would describe him as. To me he's just a big teddy bear.

Alls I know is, I have zero desires to develop a crush. Every girl on TV who has a crush acts silly and stupid. They turn into some boy-crazed weirdo. Well not me. I refuse to be one of those girls.

**A/N: So yea, she's a sassy one.**


	4. Eye Opener

**Chapter 4:** **Eye Opener**

**Bella's POV:**

My daughter is an interesting child. She reminds me of her grandmother Renee. Strong willed and full of life. She likes to watch TV to "study human interactions" and I feel that has contributed to her personality. You'd think I was raising a full blown teenager, but nope. Just an eight year old looking toddler. Wow my life is strange.

Carlisle suspects that her accelerated personality is due to her vampire genes. She's a charming child who makes people love her instantly. Physically, she has been growing at a rapid pace, but I guess it makes since for her mind to stay one step ahead. It would be rather odd for her to wake up in a grown women's body before she caught up mentally.

I'm not ready for my baby to grow up. I want her to be my baby forever. Edward and I try to treat her as the age she appears and not her actual age. It's very difficult though. No one could have prepare us for this. Seven years will be a blink of an eye when you have forever.

I think tonight's discussion regarding Renesmee enhancing her gifts was a bit of an eye opener for us all. Especially for Edward and Jacob.

For one, the realization that she could become more powerful, if she wanted to, really set in. It's hard to imagine my baby girl in a position where she would need to fight. She is still half human. Nessie thinks she's indestructible, but that is not true. She still bleeds. Stronger than human, but not as strong as full vampire or phased wolf for that matter. She's about as strong as Jake in his human form.

We cannot ignore the fact that the more control she has over her gift, the better chance she would have at defending herself. There may come a day we are not around her twentyfour/seven. This is a dangerous world after all. Jasper keeps us training from time to time, but we keep Renesmee on the sidelines for that. I didnt want to risk her getting hurt.

The second thing we realized is she's going to be a woman sooner than we thought. We've been so focused on enjoying her childhood, we never really talked about how we would handle her transition into adulthood. The one thing we did discuss is that we would not tell her the whole part of imprinting just yet. She's just too young.

Rosalie had offerd to take Nessie back to our cottage for bed. I was thankful for that because we needed to discuss some things outside of her earshot. She likes to eavesdrop while pretending to be asleep.

Currently it was just Edward, Jacob, and myself in the livingroom of the main house. My husband and I shared the love seat, while Jacob sat on the couch opposite to us. We were all sitting in silence, no one wanting to be the first to speak.

I could tell Jake was on edge. Listening to his breathing, it was irregular and shallow. His left leg was bouncing up and down as if he needed to use the bathroom. His hands were holding eachother as his gaze was focused out the window to his right. This was not going to be good.

**Jacob POV:**

Breathe, Jake. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Don't let 'em see you sweat.

Why am I sweating? It's no news that Nessie is growing up. C'mon man, get it together. You knew she wouldn't be little forever. Still, I thought I had more time before the 'P' word was introduced: Puberty.

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Man I envy Seth right now. He was able to dip out ealrier. I should have left with him when I had the chance.

I was not at all prepared to start thinking about her going through changes. That got me thinking, at what point _will_ our imprint start to change?... I mean, _if _she will even have any changed feelings for me that is.

Would they be when she's physically older or technically older? I see her as my little sister; I just want to protect her. How am I supposed to know what to do here?

If she does go through changes and still doesn't know the full truth of imprinting, that could be bad. She would probably be upset with us for lying to her. Even if we only lied by omission, I know Ness wouldn't see it that way. The worst part is, I have to be the one to tell her. To be honest, I wouldn't even know where to start...

_Hey kiddo, the reason I've always been around is because we're soulmates. I was just looming around, waiting for you to grow up and then bam! Happily ever after with yours truly._

Yeah right. That's the creepiest thing I could do. Besides, I don't see her in that way AT ALL. All the other imprinted wolves are totally in love with their imprints. Well, except for Quil with his imprint Claire. That's because Claire is only four years old... which is technically still older than Nessie. GAHH!

Damnit, Jake! Act like you know how to use your fucking lungs!

This is not fair! The guys who imprited on their woman as adults have it so much easier. Lucky bastards. They got to jump right into the soulmate conversation while here I am, thinking of ways to not come off as a pedophile.

"Jacob you need to calm down. No one thinks you're a pedophile." Edward said.

Perfect remider on how even more screwed up this situation is. The girl who I will someday (hopefully) spend the rest of my life with's father can read my freaking mind. What kind of crule fate is that anyway?

He looked at me with serious eyes "It is not all that great on this end of it either, Jacob. Please remember that."

_Yeah_, _yeah_. _Let's get this over with._

"I know you only have the purest thoughts and intentions with our daughter" he paused "... at the moment." He shutterd.

Yeah, I feel the same way man. It was only some odd months ago I was changing her diapers. That last thought made me hang my head. How did a great day like today end in such turmoil?

"I'm not feeling so hot." Like seriously, I could barf. Thank God Blondie brought Ness to bed at her own home tonight. She did not need to overhear any of this.

I love her more than anything in the universe. I would die for her without question, but I just couldn't see myself feeling, _that way, _about her for a very, very long time. It's hard for me to even think about it at all...And then Bella wants to bring up changes. What the hell?

"I am not above having Jasper calm you down himself. I am just as perplexed as you are. Trust me, this situation is not ideal for us either."

Yeah, Eddie boy didn't look too happy as well. Bella on the other hand looked... well normal actualy. I guess she's always been good with weird. I'm glad _someone_ in this room isn't freaking out. Cuz I sure am.

"We need to handle this delicately. She's a growing young lady and is very emotional." Warned Bella

"I don't know how, but I think I should try to tell her the truth." I could barley say that in a whisper

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Both Edward and Bella yelled immediately. Geez, It's like they practiced that or something.

"Jacob, you heard her today. She's still too young."

"I'm with Edward on this one" Bella chimed in. Figures. "She's completely oblivious to that aspect of your bond. I want to keep it that way for as long as possible. You know I love you Jake, but we still want Renesmee to feel like she has a choice when she gets older."

"Of course she has a choice! It will always be her choice." How many times do we have to go over that part?

"Her knowing about the mating aspect of imprinting at such an early age could make her feel obligated to be with you." Edward pointed out. "On the otherhand, It could also push her away from you. She needs to grow up some before she's introduced to that information. It's not appropriate at this time."

"Well when will it be appropriate?" I asked them. "What happens when she figures it out for herself? She's smarter than we think. Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't figured it out for herself yet."

"I am as well and it is truly a blessing." He's rubbing his temples now. I thought vamps couldnt get headaches?

So far, everyone has been able to help me keep the secret. She hasn't put together that the older imprinted couples are just that, couples.

It helps that Quil and Claire are in a similar situation; she's way too young to know as well. Plus, she does not come from a family with wolf genetics so she doesn't know about supernatural things in general. Our ancestors' history are just legends to her.

Ness on the otherhand is in the hotspot of supernatural activity. She's practically a vampire princess with her being born into one of the largest covens in the world. So many gifted vampires, all bonded like family, is powerful.

Not to mention, the Cullens are loaded. Thanks to Alice, their money has money. Top it off with her being imprinted on by the Alpha of magical warewolf shapeshifters? ...Goodness. She couldn't live a normal life if she tried.

"I've seen inside the minds of other imprinted wolves. I have come to understand the bond better. You should know when she's ready."

"Care to elaborate?" I can see the bond through my pack mind too. The guys with mates try not to share intimate thoughts. Imprinting is very personal.

"I've picked this up reading their mind in human form. They cannot always help it." He at least looked apologetic.

" Anyway, the bond allows you to be what she needs you to be. You will have to wait until she needs you to be...um... something more... before you tell her everything. It is only then will I allow you to talk to her about the details of imprinting."

He didn't seem like he was going to budge on the subject. That's ok, it seems fair. I need more time to figure this out anyway. Maybe I could ask my dad about it. Maybe see if any of our ancestors had to go through this as well.

Of course they wouldn't have gone through this. Our ancestors hated the cold ones. If they did imprint, it was on someone form our tribe- someone human. They would grow at a regular rate. This is the first time someone imprinted on an outsider. They're probably not too thrilled the next cheif will be mated to a vampire.

Oh my god did I seriously just think that?

The look on Edwards face says yes, yes I did. Fuck.

"I'm going to start my patrol."

"Yes, that would be for the best." Oh he looked pissed now.

With that, I launched myself off of the couch and ran twords the large sliding, glass door at the back of the mansion. What the hell is wrong with me? I cannot believe I just blatantly though of myself being mated to Nessie... in front of Edward. Damnit I need to run.

I started undressing behing the first tree I could get to. After lamely folding my clothes and laying them at the bottom of the tree, I phased and took off.

Oh man did it feel good to get away from that conversation. This was the first time I've phased all day and it's just what I needed. My wolf needed to get out and stretch. It wasn't long before I could hear my pack in my head.

_Jake! Man, I havent heard from you all day! What took you so long? Your shift started over 30 minutes ago. _Embry practically yelled at me.

_Dude chill, you realize we can hear you if you think at a regular volume, don't you? _He could be annoyingly loud sometimes.

_Yeah, and you're stalling. Seth already told me about today. God, I wish I were there. That would have been hilarious! _I can hear his mental laughter at my expense.

_Damnit Seth. Really? _He knows this is a touchy subject for me.

_Sorry man, couldn't help it... so how'd it go? _

_How do you think? _I then replay my worst hours of the day to my closest friends. My brothers.

_Ouch dude. You really got yourself in a situation, imprinting on a leach's baby._

_Hey man, watch it. __You know we don't speak of the Cullens like that. Just the red eyed bastards._ Thank God for Seth.

_My bad dude. Im trying._

_Thanks, I know it's not easy. _I really ment that. If someone else imprinted on a vamp before me, it would be weird as hell.

_So what you good man? _Embry asked

_Guys, I just thought I'd have more time. It freaked me out is all. But I'm good now, we gotta get focused. Embry, go home. Seth and I got this._

_Aye, Aye Cap._

I pushed my paws harder into the Earth as I dashed through the forest. It feels good to protect my people. It also feels good knowing I'm protecting my angel. It has its ups and downs but you gotta love being a wolf.


	5. Lester

**Helo readers! This chapter is all in Nessie's POV. Hope you enjoy.**

*** I** **do not own Twilight***

**Chapter 5: Lester**

**Renesmee's POV:**

I woke up early for a Saturday morning. Usually, I would sleep in closer till noon on the weekends. Today, my body was up and at em at nine o'clock in the morning. That's not normal for me. Then again, I am full of abnormalities.

I take a peak out the window near my bed. The sun was not shining today. Not even close. I sighed.

Hopping off the edge of my bed, I walk over the opposite side of my room to where my calander hung on the wall. It was placed just to the left of my mirror. I first take inventory of my hair.

I've begun to sleep more recklessly and my hair is the living proof. I love my beautiful curls, but it's times like this I envyed my mother's hair. She never had to wake up like this... then again, she never had to 'wake-up' at all. Stupid human genes.

Then, I look at the calander, crossing off yesterday's date. It's only been one week since Auntie Alice announced our friends from the Amazon coming to visit. That still leaves me with four weeks of waiting. I hate waiting for exciting things; I'm still learning patience.

Speaking of things I'm still learning, I have made zero progress with my mental sheild. My dad made me promise to not get discouraged if it doesn't work right away, but It's been difficult.

I've been trying to keep a positive attitude, but it has never taken me this long to learn something. I've learned languages and scientific equations in under a week, so why am I having trouble now?

My brain is already strong being that it's half vampire with unlimited storage for information. It grew even stronger from all the books I've read and other activities. How am I supposed to make it even more strong by sitting and doing nothing?

My grandpa and my dad insist meditating is not "doing nothing", but sitting in a quiet room, emptying your mind feels a whole lot like doing nothing to me. Whatever though. I'll keep working at it.

My mom said it took her some time before she mastered her sheild, so I should just be patient. The thing is, I remember her practicing pushing out her mental sheild. It didnt seem like it took her so long at the time. I guess she had something to fight for at the moment. She knew she needed to be good at it to protect her family. To protect me.

Maybe I'll find something to pull strength from myself. I'm not sure what though. My life has been simple since the Vultori left. I learn, play, hunt, eat, and sleep. No one has tried to hurt our family for some time.

I know about the curious, nomadic vampires who get too close to our territories. But I've always been completely safe in those situations. My family is strong and knows how to handle anything that comes our way, so I don't typically worry about them.

My Jacob is very strong as well. He and his wolf brothers are good at hunting down vampires. Only the evil ones though. They know not to hurt ones that don't pose a threat to humans. Like my family and the Denalis.

There are some exceptions though. Like the Amazonians and the other witnesses who came to our aid. Even though they feed off of people (gag) they are still our friends. They also respect our choices and agreed to hunt outside of Forks and LaPush.

Anyway, I don't have worry about protecting anyone. It stinks being the smallest and the weakest in your whole family and I know it's not possible for me to have any siblings since my mother is no longer human. I don't really mind it, though there are somedays I do think it would be nice.

A soft knock on my door brought me back from my thoughts. A second later, my Auntie Rosalie walked into my room.

"Goodmorning, beautiful."

"Goodmorning, Aunite."

"Would you like me to brush your hair?"

"Yes, please."

I loved my Auntie Rose. She's like my second mom. I don't really like when other people do my hair except for her and my mom. Aunt Rose does it the best though.

"Do you know what my parents are up to?"

She picked up the brush off my vanity "Well, your dad is making you breakfast and your mom is keeping him company." She pulled up a stool, sat directly behind me, and began brushing.

"Is it eggs?" Please God, let it be eggs.

A small smile played on her ruby red lips "Of course darling."

She is so beautiful. I wish I could look like her. I've told her that once, when I was smaller. She insisted that it was _her_ that should be jealous of _me_. She's very sweet. She would make a great mother... if only she could be.

Darn-it! Quick Renesmee, think of something else before you cry. Thinking of this always makes me sad.

I feel bad that she will not be able to have a child of her own. I try to include her in a lot of my childhood activities so she can have a chance to love a child too. I love her so much, I just want her to be happy. Just like the rest of my family.

I felt a rubberband being wrapped around the end of a braid.

"There. Perfect." She looked at her work proudly.

"Oh wow! That was fast, I didnt even know you were braiding it."

"You're going to need your hair back today. It always gets wild when you go hunting."

My eyes widened as I turned around to meet her face to face. "I'm going hunting today?!"

"My goodness, you'd think you haven't hunted in a month with how excited that made you." She laughed

"Well I am getting bigger, maybe I just need more blood than I used to?" I was thinking out loud. Really though, it hasnt been that long.

"Good point. Get dressed and then meet your parents in the kitchen. I will see you later today." She squeezed my shoulder and walked out of my room.

I got up and stretched, ready to start the day.

I was finishing up my eggs when Jacob walked through the front door of our cottage.

"Jake! You're here!"

"Hey there, squirt. Why are you so excited?"

"We're going hunting!"

"Again?"

"She's starting to need blood more often now that she's a little older." My mom explained.

"Ah" was all he replied with.

"Can you come with us?" Please say yes, please say yes.

"Of course, Kiddo." Yes!

"Alright, Let's get a move on. Nessie, get your jacket." My dad commanded.

After my first hunting trip, Aunt Alice made me a special hunting jacket made out of leather. I'm mostly impervious to animal bites and sratches, but my parents are still worried my luck will run out. Also, it keeps my clothes from being ruined from claw marks and blood. Its adorable though, so I don't complain.

After about a twenty minute run north of our home, we decided this was the area to hunt in. I slid off Jake's wolf back to stretch and prepare myself for the hunt. I could have ran myself, but I would have slowed them down. Instead of twnety mintues, it would have been more like thirty-five. Stupid human genes.

After my Jake helped me take down a deer, and my parents were both on their second deer, I started to get a weird feeling. Jake picked up on this and immediately came to my side. His eyes were scanning the clearing we were in feriously.

That's when my dad came bursting through the trees and stood directly infront of me. He moved so fast; faster than he normally would when we were alone. A moment later, my mom came through the same patch of trees to stand on my other side. What the heck is going on?

I could tell she was pushing her sheild out to cover us. Oh no, there must be a threat! Stay calm Renesmee, you're perfectly fine. Your family is strong- I kept telling myself.

"You're right sweethart, everything is fine. Just another curious nomad. He won't stick around long." My dad assured me.

So far, everytime this has happened, Ive either been at home, on the res, or out here with the whole family, never just the four of us. Eight vampires agianst one is a whole lot better than two vampires and a wolf agaist one. It hasn't come down to a fight yet because no one is crazy enough to take on that many vampires alone. I hope today is no different.

Jacob started growling, loudly. I placed my hand in his fur hoping to calm him down. It definitely helped calm me down. We waited for what seemed like forever until the nomad finally showed himself.

On the other side of the tiny clearling, a tall, blone haired man stepped through the foliage and stopped. He didnt move. He didn't speak. He had on an all black, button up jacket with brown slacks. Good thing Aunite Alice isn't here, she'd have a conniption.

The man kept his hands in his pockets as he stared back at us. His eyes were blazing red so he shouldn't be hungry. He looked rather clean for a nomad. He was even wearing dress shoes, what's with this guy?

"What brings you here?" My father asked the man. Weird, normally he just reads their mind to find out. The stranger must be trying to block him.

"My, my. You must be the Cullens. I have traveled quite a long way to see the infamous halfling child." He took a large step to his left to made eye contact with me aound my dad. "I needed proof that she was not bitten." He sounded... creepy. I don't know how to put it any other way than that.

"There were plenty of witnesses who could have vouched for us all over the world. There was no need to come all the way here." Oh my dad sounded agitated. He must've not liked something the man was thinking.

"Yes, I've heard quite a lot from these_ witnesses_, but you have to understand how absurd it sounds; the spawn of a hunter and his prey. You have to see how intriguing that is to and old vampire such as myself."

Old is right. He looked very old for a vampire. He appeared to be frozen in his early fourtys but there was something about the texture of his skin that made him seem ancient.

"You of course understand why I cannot allow you to get any closer to my child. You'll have to get your proof from over there." Warned my father.

"Understandable. I can hear her blood and heartbeat from here..." He licked his lips "fascinating she is." Gross. I wish he'd leave us alone!

"Well now that you've seen her, you can leave us in peace. By the way, I didnt have the pleasure of catching your name Mr...?"

"Lester. Lester Cromwell and I can see I've worn out my welcome. It has been a pleasure meeting the well known Cullens and their... dog. I look forward to seeing you all again. Todaloo." And just like that, he was gone.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. What a strange guy.

Quickly, my mom threw me onto Jake's back and we ran back to the main house. My dad called Carlisle before we got there to have him assemble a family meeting. He also called Jacob's pack and told them to meet us in 20 minutes. Everything seemed to be happening so fast.

I have to admit that I was spooked. What if I had been alone out there? What if the man- this, Lester- found me before my parents or Jake noticed? Thank goodness he's gone now and no one was hurt, so why is my family acting so on-edge?

**A/N: Tell me what you think. **


	6. Meeting

**Chapter 6: Meeting**

**Edward's POV:**

We waited for everyone to arrive until we spoke about what happened. I didn't want to explain details more than once. I am not happy about what occurred this morning.

Carlise was standing at the head of the dining room table with Esme sitting off to his right. I was standing off to his left side with Bella sitting to my left. Rose and Emmett sat next to Esme, while Alice and Jasper sat on the other side of Bella.

Jacob and his pack were all standing at the opposite end of the table. Sam had joined us as well, but the rest of his pack was ordered to stay behind and patrol LaPush. I wanted to drop Renesmee off at our cottage so she would not hear any of this but fearing for her safety, I needed her here with us.

"Daddy, I don't understand. Nothing bad happened. The man is gone. Why do we have to have a meeting?" Renesmee questioned.

"Just wait a moment sweethart, I will explain soon."

_Ok, I'll be patient._

"Good girl, go sit with your mother." I nudged her twords where Bella was sitting.

"Alright," Carlisle began "thank you all for coming so quickly. As some of you may already heard, four memebers of our family were approached by another vampire while hunting earlier today. Edward has asked me to call this meeting to bring you all up to speed." He looked over to me "You have the floor, son."

I nodded and turned to the rest of my family.

"The man we were approached by was supposedly a nomadic vampire, he appeard to be traveling alone and had already eaten before he found us." I layed the scene for those who were not with us earlier today.

"Ok, so you ran into another curious leech and he wasn't hungry. What's the big deal?" Embry jumped in, which then earned him a warning growl from Jacob.

"Sorry" was all he replied with.

"The _deal_ is, somtheing about his character was off. Something in my gut is telling me there's more to him than he's letting on-" I was cut off.

"Well, couldn't you just read his mind? You of all people should know what's going on." Quil questioned me with folded arms

Jacob roared "Stop interrupting! Then maybe we could get somewhere!"

That caused all four of his pack members to straighten up and take a step back. Hmm. Jacob has really started to utilize his alpha position. Definitely useful in times like these.

"And, for your information, I happen to agree with Edward. Something didn't feel right with this one. We need to be careful." Jacob backed me up.

I could hear the concerned thoughts of my family, I needed to get to the point before they explode.

It was Sam who stepped in "I apologize on their behalf Edward, please, continue."

"The main reason I don't think he was a nomad, is because he was wearing nice clothing and dress shoes. Also, he was not dirty. He has to living among the humans. There would be no need to dress like that while living in the wild." I turn to my daughter "Nessie, would you please share this image with everyone?"

She nodded and the hopped of Bella's lap to show the rest of the family what I was referring to. One by one she made her way around the table to replay an image of the groomed vampire.

Alice gasped "Black with brown? He truly is a monster!"

I rolled my eyes at my favorite sister. As Renesmee returned to her mother's lap.

"That's not the only thing that was off about him. Somehow, he knew I could read his mind and was very gaurded with his thoughts. He also seemed to know how to get around Alice, since she did not forsee him on our hunting trip."

"I thought Alice couldn't see the furute of a wolf or hybrid? Weren't both Jake and Nessie invovled?" Leah pointed out.

"I've actually been practicing ways around it. I still can't 'see' them clearly, but I can usually get enough information from the vision to make educated assesments and deductions to then peice together the blank spots." Alice replied to her question, then looked over to me with guilty eyes "I'm so sorry Edward, if I saw anything I would have told you."

"Don't worry, I know it's not your fault. Lester obviously knew a great deal about us before showing up." I assured her.

"Lester?" Esme asked

I looked at her "Yes, he said his name was Lester Cromwell."

"Cromwell huh? He actually gave you his full name?" Jasper asked. "Very suspicious..."

"Well, he must not have anything to hide if he's given you his full name" Esme stated hopefully.

"He has plenty to hide if he was reciting Shakespeare in his head." I replied

"Well, maybe this is all random?" Esme tried, again, to sound hopeful.

"He said he traveled very far to see Nessie, _specifically_." Jacob stressed. "There's nothing random about this. She was targeted."

I knew this was very hard for him. Just like it was hard for me.

I watched as my daughter got up from Bella's lap once more and walked over to Jacob. She held his hand and just stood with him silently. He took a shaky breath but only relaxed his shoulders slightly.

"Edward, please get to the point. I still don't see what's gotten you and the dog's panties in a bunch." Rosalie rushed. "We already know other vampires are interested in us. Why is this _Lester_ guy any different. You said he wasnt hungry." She reminded me.

"Lester came here with more than simple curiosity. He seemed extremely intrigued in Renesmee." I explained.

"Just how intrigued are we talking here?" Emett folded his wide arms across his chest.

I looked over to my wife, and plead with my eyes for her to understand what I needed from her.

She caught on right away "Nessie, its time for your bath."

Thank goodness. I didn't want my baby to think I was kicking her out, but I also didn't want to frighten her with what I will say next. I will have to fill Bella in later.

"What?!" She screamed "I want to stay and hear the rest!"

"Renesmee, do as your told please. Now is not the time to be disobedient." I scolded her.

She huffed "Fine" and dropped Jacob's hand.

"Please dont be mad sweethart" he coaxed "I'll come find you when this is over. I promise." He held out his pinky and after a pause, she complied.

We all sat silently until we heard the bath water on full blast followed by the radio being turned on in the upstairs hall.

Jacob spoke in a hushed voice "So what does he want?"

"Lester was, at first, just intrigued by her creation process. After he made eye contact with Renesmee, he let a thought slip... He wants her." I dropped the bomb.

There was a moment of silence. The silence was then filled with the growls and hisses of my family and the wolves.

"What the hell do you mean by 'he wants her'?" Jacob seethed.

"The thing is, I'm not so sure." I confessed "He only let the thought slip for a fraction of a second, but long enough for me to catch that he wants my child."

There were multiple outbursts from everyone.

"He will not get his hands on my imprint! Even if I have to die first!" Jacob slammed his fists down on the table that would now have to be fixed later.

That's when Carlisle stepped in "Ok everyone, I think we all need to calm down a bit and think rationally. No one is going to die. We will all work together again to protect Renesmee." My father then turned to me "She will be safe son, I promise."

It was extremely difficult for me to announce Lester's thoughts on Renesmee. He wants to ruin my reason for existing. One of my reasons anyway. If it weren't for the fact that I needed to be strong and composed for my daughter, I too would be lashing out with rage.

"So what do we do now?" Rosalie asked

"I'll tell you one thing, if he comes sniffing around our neighborhood, he's done for." Embry spoke up.

The rest of his pack nodded in agreement while Jacob was trying to keep from phasing.

"Jacob, I think it'd be best if you cooled off before finding Renesmee. She cannot see you in this state. I don't want to worry her about this." I told him

It took her awhile to stop having nightmares after the Vultori left. I don't want her to start having them agin.

With clenches fists, he took off twords the back window wall and ran twords the forest. He made it only halfway before he phased into his wolf. The remainder of his pack all exchanged glances then looked to Leah.

"We will take this very seriously Edward, don't worry. Nessie is our Alphas imprint. We will do everything we can to keep her safe." She delcared.

And with that, they all followed their leader to the woods.

Sam spoke up "Thank you Cullens for keeping me in the loop. I will relay this information along with the image Nessie showed me to the rest of my pack. We will keep in touch." He also left through the back door.

I look to the rest of my family. Each one displayed a look of determination. I am so thankful for them all. I couldn't do this without them.

**Jacob's POV:**

I knew it! I just knew that blooducker was up to no good. If he thinks he can just come here to take Nessie, he's got another thing coming.

I ran back to the spot where we meet him earlier today. I just _had _to make sure he wasn't lurking around. The only thing on my mind right now is making sure my angel is safe.

It wasn't long before I could hear my pack join me.

_Jake! We're right behind you. Wait up! _Embry yelled.

_I can't stop, just meet me there_.

How could he expect me to stop running at a time like this?

_I understand how you're feeling, but we need to form an actual plan. _

Quil reasoned.

_How could you possibly understand? _

He then flashed us images of Claire.

_No one has tried to kill or take Claire yet. Nessie has been in danger since she was born_!

_Before that even... _

Leah then flashed us images of when Bella was pregnant and we all thought Nessie was going to be a monster.

That made me flinch. I too, was going to hurt her... then things changed.

_Sorry_.

Leah apologized.

Quil kept thinking of Claire and was worried about her safety as well. There is a kidnapping leach on the loose afterall.

_Go to her Quil. Make sure she is safe. _

I released him.

_Thanks man. I'll stay in wolf form in case you find him._

He took off. It was just Leah, Seth, Embry and I running towards the small clearing.

When we got there, I was thrilled to find some of Lester's stench still lingering around. It was faint but it would get the job done. Now the rest of my crew could familiarize themselves with it.

_Take a good whiff._

_Ew, gross_. Complained Leah

_Leah and Embry, run Northeast. Seth and I will go Northwest._

_On it. _They all obeyed.

_If you don't pick up on anything within fifteen miles, come back and wait here. Howl if you find him._

_\--_

Twenty minutes later, we were all meeting back in the clearing.

_Damnit! Why did his scnet just disappear like that? He must've known we'd come looking._

I was pissed. Not one of us could sniff him out. I needed to find him so I could kill him. Only then would be able to relax.

_It's ok Jake, we'll stay on our gaurd. __We'll find him. _Seth thought.

_We should get back home. This was pointless, he's gone. _

_Of course you'd give up so quickly Leah, you don't even care about Nessie, or the Cullens._ _It's no secret that you hate them. _I spat at her.

_Excuse me? I'm out here with you aren't I? I was the first to leave Sam's pack to help you protect Bella! How could you think I hate them? Just because I'm not in the Cullen fan club, does NOT mean I don't care about Nessie! You asshole! _

_She has a point... _Embry thought.

_Yea bro, that was harsh. She didn't deserve that. _

Damnit. Embry and Seth were right.

_Leah, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that. I just got caught up in my anger. _I tried to reason with her.

_Screw you, I don't need this. I'm going home._

Leah ran home, away from us. Away from me. Shit.

_Dude. You gotta get it together. You do realize we need her don't you?_

I was shocked hearing this from Embry of all people.

_Seriously man, she's been through enough. _Seth was hurt that I upset his sister.

_Okay, okay! I'll talk to her alright!? But first I need to go back to Nessie. I promised I'd find her. She's probably pissed I Ieft._

_What do you want us to do?_ Embry asked me.

_Whatever you want. We can call it a day, his scent is completely gone. Quil if you're listening you can phase back now. _I orded.

With that we all went our separate ways.

As I made my way back to the Cullens' house, I was relieved to find some clothes set out for me. I completely shredded my outfit from when I phased earlier. I'll have to thank Esme later.

I walked through the back door to find a squeaky clean Nessie waiting for me.

"And just where have you been mister? You promised." She seemed angry.

"I'm sorry sweethart, I needed to go for a run before we could hang out. I really needed to calm down. Please, forgive me?" I pleaded with her.

She smiled. "It's ok my Jake, I was only kidding. I could never be mad at you."

She was amazing.

We spent the rest of the night in the main house, just watching Disney movies and enjoying eachothers company. I was still on edge about Lester, but being with Nessie helped me think straight again.

Thinking straight made me realize just how bogus I was to Leah today. I really fucked up. That's no way to treat a packmate. Especially my second in comand. Ugh, this is going to suck.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think.**


	7. Leah

**A/N: This chapter is a little longer, but it's in three different POV's. It's pretty much all about Leah. So, without further ado...**

* * *

**Chapter 7:** **Leah**

**Leah's POV:**

I watched as my phone rang for the eleventh time this morning. Knowing who it was, I let it go to voicemail _a__gain._ I don't care if he's my alpha right now. I will not stand to be treated the way I was yesterday.

Jacob Black is a big fat jerk! He's so selfish when it comes to his hybrid imprint. If anything is wrong with her, it's like nothing else matters. Don't get me wrong, I love Nessie too. I'm just not obsessed with her like he is.

It also doesn't help that the Cullens have Jake wrapped around their fingers. He would do anything for those vamps, all because he imprinted. It's disgusting.

If that's not bad enough, my mother decided to marry Charlie Swan, who is the father of Bella Cullen. So imprint or not, I'd still have to put up with them. I just can't escape this freak show that is my life.

Why me? Why did I have to be the first and only female wolf? Why did _my_ dad have to die when those leaches came here for _her_. Why did the love of my life have to imprint on another woman? Why the hell did that woman have to be my own cousin of all people. What did I do to deserve any of this?

I reflected on these things while sitting on my couch in the front room. Looking out my window, I noticed the sun was peeking through the clouds just a little. Hopefully it does not rain today.

This was the home I grew up in with my once happy family. Now with my father deceased, and my mother and Seth moved in with Charlie, I have been left here all alone.

I very well could have moved with them to Forks, but I decided this is what's best for me. It's nice having a space that is all my own. Especially one free of any vampire stench since none of them would ever come here. I smiled.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. I ignored it. I didn't want to see anyone from the pack today. Especially not Jake.

The knocking continued and became increasingly annoying. After a minute or so, it grew into a louder, pounding sound. Irritation got me up off my couch as I lunged for the front door.

Nearly ripping it off the hinges as it opened, I yelled "Go away, Ja-"

I was cut short when I realized it was not Jacob at my door. Instead, it was Embry.

"Expecting someone else?" He smirked

"Well I sure as hell wasn't expecting _you."_ I answered.

"Ouch. Can I come in?" He asked.

I narrowed my gaze at him "And why would you want to do that?"

"What? I can't come visit my pack sister?"

I rolled my eyes "Fine, come on in."

I moved out of the way so he could walk through the front door. This is not the first time Embry has been here, he used to come hang with Seth back in the day. This was however, his first time here since it's been in my posession.

He carefully looked around the livingroom before speaking.

"Hmm. It's alot different in here." He noticed.

"Yeah. I had to get some new furniture... you know, create new memories and all." I lied.

"Sure" was all he said. I could tell he wasn't buying it.

The truth is, I destroyed all of the old furniture in a fit of rage. After I had ...um... _went away_ last year, I returned only to be reminded of all that I've lost. I don't really remember what triggered it exactly, but I just snapped.

At first, I was just punching and throwing things around the house. Eventually, I cut myself on a sharp piece of glass and that pissed me off even more. I phased, right here in my home, and just kept destroying things until all that was left was the structure of the house and a few family treasurs. I'm thankful my mother took most of the irreplaceable items with her to Forks.

I worked my butt off for months saving enough money to buy new furniture, dishes, curtains, rugs, and electronics. The clean up process took so long, I vowed I'd never be so reckless again. It did however, allow me to discover my interst in a more feminine looking environment.

My couches were a deep blue with light pink throw pillows. The curtains in the livingroom were also the same shade of pink to keep the room light and open. I had a light grey rug in the center of the room with a small wooden coffee table anchoring it down.

The kitchen had a monochromatic theme featuring the same deep blue that's in the livingroom. Lighter colored blues and whites were also found in this room. My bedroom had a hot pink and grey theme, while my bathroom had a sunset orange that reminded me of the beach.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed that I did all this myself. I never cared for such things, but living alone has made me learn new things about myself.

"So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to tell my why you're really here."

I'm not stupid, I knew the real reason why.

"Alright, you caught me." He threw his hands up in defense. "I was worried you had run off again. We all were, actually."

Boom. There it is.

"You know I don't like talking about this, Embry." I reminded him

"I know, I know, but still, I had to make sure... You weren't answering any of Jake's calls."

We both looked over to where my answering machine was sitting. The illuminated screen displayed:

11 Missed calls

8 new messages

I walked over to it and cleared the history, not even bothering to listen to the voicemails. Then I turned back to Embry.

"Why? Not like you'd actually care if I were gone." I huffed while crossing my arms over my chest.

He looked at me with disappointment. "Leah, you don't really believe that? Do you?" His eyes held concern.

"One hundred percent." I stated firmly.

He shook his head and replied "It's a shame. Someone as awesome as you should never have to feel that way."

Huh? What did he just say?

"...Um, what?"

"Nothing. Look, Leah, Jake needs you. We all do. Please don't abandon us agian alright? You have to know that you belong here."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Is this even the real Embry?

"Promise me." He said

"What?"

"I need you to promise me you will not leave us agian. At least not out of anger anyway." He seemed serious.

"Alright. Fine. I promise." I said halfheartedly

He seemed pleased with that.

"Well alrighty then. You should answer the phone when Jake calls. He feels like shit about what he said to you yesterday. You should let him apologize."

"Can't make any promises to that one bud." I wasn't folding.

"I get it, Jake's an idiot, but he means well. Please, just hear him out."

Did Embry just say _please? _He's not usually one for manners.

When I didn't reply he went on, "Well, when you're done making him sweat, you should talk to him."

"Yea, fine. Whatever." I looked away from him.

There was an awkward moment of silence as Embry rocked back and forth on his toes.

"So... have you eaten breakfast yet?" Embry asked while scratching the back of his head.

"No." Where is he going with this?

"Would you maybe like to go get some? With me? Like right now?" He asked rather nervously.

"I can't, my shift starts in thirty minutes."

"Oh. Right." His smile faded. "Well another time then?" Is he being serious?

"Uh, yea. Another time."

"Well... I'll let you get back to doing whatever it was you were doing. Remember your promise. See you later, Leah." With that he let himself out.

I let out a deep breath. What the hell was that about? I mean, I heard what he said but my brain is not comprehending. Embry Call is not one for saying nice things and going on breakfast dates. I've also never heard him, or anyone, describe me as 'awesome'.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts of his visit. I needed to get ready for my shift at the diner.

As I did that, I thought about how maybe I should just let Jake apologize. We need to be a strong unit right now with the target on Nessie. Being devided and sidetracked will not help us win against Lester.

I've sacrificed many things since becoming a wolf. I'll just have to add my pride to that list.

**Embry's POV:**

Walking away from Leah's house, I found myself, literally, kicking rocks. Even though she declined my breakfast offer for work, it still sucked she said 'no'.

Life's been good. Chasing leaches and hanging with my bros. Though somewhere along the way, I started to develop a little crush on Leah.

Yes, you heard me. I like Leah. How did this happen? No clue. She used to get on my every last nerve, but now, I really enjoy being around her.

She's a strong fighter and very brave. She'll go toe to toe with any of us guys, any day. She's a total badass and I find it kinda sexy.

You have no idea how difficult it has been keeping that one a secret. Sharing a pack mind is dangerous when you have a secret that big.

I can't afford to let that one slip, the guys will give me shit for the rest of our lives. Not to mention, it would freak out Leah. I'm pretty positive she does not feel the same way about me. I get it though.

She was hurt in the past by her ex-boyfriend (Sam) when he imprinted on someone else (Emily). Since then, she's vowed she will never date another wolf. Anyone who could imprint was off limits to her. I only know this from her thoughts slipping while we're phased.

So yeah, I can't exactly tell her my feelings cuz that would ruin pack politics. If she denys me, I'd still have to share a mind with her and follow her orders. Hurt feelings get messy. So no one will know about this. Well maybe Edward knows. I can't keep my thought under control 24/7.

As I approached First beach, I noticed I've been kicking the same rock all this way. I picked it up and skipped it across the water. I pulled out my phone to check the time. I needed to check in with Jake and figure out a way to track Lester.

I decided it was best to run in human form so I can keep my clothing. Fifteen-ish minutes later, I was walking up the the back porch of the Cullen house.

"Yo, Embry!" Emmett was the first to greet me.

"Sup, dude." I greeted him back with a fist bump.

Contrary to my hatred of leaches, the Cullens were actually not bad. I may not love them as much as Jake or Seth, but they've proven themselves to be worthy.

Though I definitely liked Emmett the best.

"We're doing some training later, you down?"

"Like I'd pass up the chance to kick your ass." I chuckled

"Ha. Funny. Jakes looking for you." He pointed to the livingroom.

"Jake's right here." Jake announced while walking twords us, into the diningroom.

I clapped my hands together "All right, let's do this."

I followed my alpha outside to phase and replay my visit with Leah. I did my very best to not linger on the breakfast part, more specifically, my disappointment to her rejection.

_So yea, just go talk to her dude. She's definitely not going to answer your call._

_Yeah, yeah. I knew I'd have to eventually. I just wanted to make sure she was there first. You know how she likes her space..._

_Okay, Jake, with all due respect, you need to start thinking like an alpha. This Lester shit has gotten you all weird in the head. Get your tail out from between your legs, and march over there and make it right... Your alpha-ness._

He looked at me. I looked at him. We stared off for a couple of minutes before he said

_You're right. And _only_ cuz you're my bro, will I let that one slide._

His tone sounded serious but he made a goofy face right after.

_Alright, go meet up with Seth and patrol nearby, I'll meet Leah at her job._

_Hah, at a public place. Smart._

I ran off to find Seth at his home with Sue. Charlie had already taken off to work. He's still on the weird 'need to know' thing so it's nice that he's gone. I won't have to worry about exposing myself.

Seth came out side and joined me in the search. We ran the perimeter of Forks first, then closed in the circle to patrol the woods surrounding the Cullen property. I couldn't wait to get my paws on another bloodsucker.

**Jacob POV:**

Taking Embry's advice, I manned up and went to Leah's job to apologize. She couldn't kill me with witnesses around, so that gave me the extra courage I needed. She's been through so much in the past, I hated that I was now apart of her problems.

I walked through the main entrance to Dave's Diner where Leah was employed. It was a small place that served classic American greasy food. Breakfast and burgers was what it was mainly known for.

I asked the host to sit me in Leah's section. I couldn't see her, so she must be in the kitchen. Perfect, I didn't want her to know I was here just yet.

I waited in my booth for her to come take my drink order. Behind me, I could hear some teenage boys causing a ruckus. I was willing to bet Leah was not having a great shift so far. Time for me to make it worse.

When she finnaly saw me sitting, waiting for her, she looked pissed. Like, really pissed. Maybe this wasn't the best plan after all...

"What the hell do you want?" She hissed in a voice too low for most humans to hear.

"Well, I'll start off with a Pepsi." I actually was kind of thirsty.

"Don't play with me Jake, I know you didn't come here for food." Leah crossed her arms and stared at me expectantly.

Sighing in defeat, I layed my menu flat on the table top. "I came here for you. I need to talk to you and you wouldn't answer my calls."

"Save it. I don't want to hear it." She started to walk away.

I don't know why, but I just reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Leah! Please, wait. I understand why you're mad at me. I said some very rude things, but I _need _you to hear me out." I begged.

With flared nostrils, she glared at where her wrist had been taken prisoner by my large hand. I dropped it immediately.

"I'm sorry, I just... please, don't leave." I was starting to sound desperate. Maybe Embry was right. My tail has been tucked in pretty far.

"Fine." She huffed. "You have two minutes." With that she sat down in my booth, just opposite of me.

I took a deep breath and began.

"I am an idiot. A complete asshole, idiot."

"Go on." She seemed slightly amused.

"I know you don't hate the Cullens. I know you don't hate Nessie. I should have never said those things to you, at all." I apologized.

"And?" She pressed.

"_And_, I'm especially sorry that I spoke to you in that manor in front of the rest of the pack. They look up to you, It was wrong of me to belittle you like that." I added.

During my little speach, I heard the roudy teenaged boys exit the restaurant in quite a hurry. Leah also noticed their quick departure. She got up from my booth and walked over to their table.

"Damnit! Those little fuckers!" Leah exclaimed. "They left without paying. Ugh! now that's going to come out of my check."

I got up from my seat and walked over to where she was standing.

"...So... are we good?" I know this wasn't the best time to ask, but my two minutes was already up.

She looked at me with fire in her eyes. "You wanna get off my shit list so bad? Go get those hoolagans to come back here and pay for their meal!"

A wide smile crept across my face. Perfect.

Without saying a word, I turned, and booked it out of Dave's and sniffed out the perpetrators. It would have been easier to do if I were in wolf form, but my human nose would just have to do.

I only had to jog for one block before I could hear the sounds of sneaky, boy giggles. I rounded the corner of the gas station located on the end of the block to find three underaged boys smoking cigarettes. I slowly approached them.

One of the boys noticed me and begun feriously stomping out his cigg. Like that would save him. The others noticed and followed suit. I could hear their streams of curse words at being caught red handed.

"Please, don't tell my mom... I'm um, just holding these for a friend." The tallest boy on the group plead.

"Relax. I don't give a damn about your terrible habit. I do, however, need you to come pay for the meal you just stole." I tried my best to look authoritative. Despite my large size, I'm still not that much older than these dufuses.

"Why do you care? You don't work there." The smallest boy asked.

"No, but the waitress you stiffed will have my ass if I don't get her money, so don't make this harder than it needs to be." I was being honest. Leah is not one to play around with.

"Phsk! _Her_ fighting_ you? _That'll be something to see" The tallest boy laughed.

I took a good look at him. He had the same sleek, jet black hair all us Quileutes shared. He wore it in a long ponytail down his back though there was something else about this kid that seemed familiar.

"What's your name, son?" I asked the tallest boy

"Uh... Neil..." He seemed nervous to answer. I guess it is weird, an adult asking for a kid's name like this.

"Your last name?" I questioned.

"Lahote?" It came out as more of a question than an answer.

Ah. That's where I recognized him from. He must be one of Paul's younger cousins.

Now that I really looked, I could see the early signs of the growth spurt working on him. It wouldn't be long until Neil's on of us.

"I'll tell you what. You give me the money you owe and I won't drag your asses back to Leah. I'll also keep your little smoking habit from your mothers. Do we have a deal?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, yes we have a deal." Neil spoke for the group.

They all pulled out their sock money and handed it to me.

"Now you boys stay out of trouble." I then made direct eye contact with Neil "or you'll be dealing with me. Got it?"

They all nodded with wide eyes.

After I returned the money to Leah, she stepped out of the diner to take her break.

"Thanks Jake. We're good now." Leah said to me.

Thank goodness, I don't know how much longer I could last on her bad side.

"But let me make a couple things clear." She added.

Uh-oh.

"First off, If you pull another stunt like that, I'm kicking your ass." She threatened with direct eye contact.

"Understood." I replied.

Anyone else, I mean _anyone _else, would be out their damn minds threatening their alpha like that. For some reason, Leah, was the only one who could get away with it.

"Good. Secondly... I don't hate Nessie." She added with a softer tone.

"I know, I don't even know why I said that." I admited.

"She's practically my neice. You have to know I love her too." She confessed.

"...So she's your neice, but Bella isn't your sister?" I prodded.

She snapped at me "It's complicated!"

I just nodded in return.

"Anyway, I gotta get back to work. I'll check-in when I'm off. See ya." She walked back into Dave's.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I made my way back to the Cullens' house. I've only been gone for an hour and I already missed Ness like crazy.

**A/N: Okay! So we got to see inside Leah and Embry's heads for a moment. Will Embry ever tell Leah how he really feels? **


	8. Like Mother Like Daughter

**A/N: This is a shorter chapter but I wanted this part alone. They will get longer eventually! Enjoy.**

**Chapter 8: Like Mother, Like Daughter**

**Renesmee's POV**

It had been three weeks since Lester had approched us and things have been diffrent ever since. My family has been acting strange. They all assure me that things are fine, but their actions betray them.

For starters, I haven't been left alone in weeks. Someone has always been with me. My whole life I've been surrounded by my family or the wolves, but now it seems different. It's like they're gaurding me from something.

My Uncle Jasper also bulked up the training schedual. Instead of them training monthly, they've been training twice a week. When I asked my dad why, he just says it's for friendly competition. No one looks happy while training though.

I just don't understand. If everything is as fine as they say, why won't things go back to normal? My only theory is that my family has been lying to me.

They wouldn't actually lie to me... would they?

After giving it some real thought, I felt so stupid. Of course they would lie to me. They still see me as a weak, little baby. How could I be so naive?

My only hope in getting to the bottom of this, was to be smart. I knew no one in my family would give me the information I was looking for. There was only one person who would give me anything I wanted... Jacob.

A wicked smile played on my lips as I cooked up a plan.

The first thing I'd have to do, was get passed my father's mind reading. As long as he can get into my head, I didn't stand a chance at getting what I wanted. I guess it was time to take this meditation thing more seriously.

The second thing, was to get Jake away from my family and work my magic. I felt bad for thinking of ways to manipulate my best friend, but I _nee__ded _to know the truth. The imprint bond should allow him to forgive me quickly. We'll be best friends for life. Though I really don't like using that to my advantage, it was the only way.

Currently, I was eating my egg breakfast at the big house. It was just my grandma Esme and I. Everyone else was either hunting or patroling except my grandpa Carlisle, who was working his shift at the hospital. This was the perfect time to think freely. It's impossible to do so when my dad is around.

"Renesmee, you've been quiet. What's on your mind dear"? Grandma asked.

"Not much, Grandma. Just waiting for Jake to get back so we can play together." That seemed like a non-suspicious answer.

"I'm sure he misses you as well. You two are thick as theives." She smiled.

There she goes again using those weird terms.

"Grandma, I'm finished. May I be excused?"

"Of course dear, but do not leave this house. Understood?" She rised an eyebrow.

"Yes ma'am." I answered.

I placed my plate in the dishwasher and proceeded to my grandpa's library. It seemed like the perfect place to think and concentrate on blocking my mind.

I grabbed a big, fluffly reading pillow off the small couch in the corner. I think they added that after I was born. No one in the house needed comfort like I did. They could all stand like statues for weeks.

Placing the pillow on the floor in the middle of the room, I sat criss-cross-applesauce on top of it. Mentally, I giggled. I heard that phrase once on a kids TV show and it kind of stuck with me.

I thought back to the last time I tried to sheild my mind. I just couldn't concentrate hard enough, which is saying a lot when you have a half-vampire brain. I needed something to focus on harder. Something to drive me.

This time, I focused on Lester. I thought about how he could have hurt me. I also thought about how he could hurt my family. I thought of how weird everyone has been acting.

I focused my anger of being lied to from my family. I attempted to will myself into a state of fight or flight. Anything to get my brain to play defense against a possible threat.

I sat there, for what seemed like hours and nothing. I peaked through one eye at the clock on the wall and sighed. It's seriously only been fourty minutes? Argh!

I tried to think about something else.

_Okay Renesmee, who is the _one _person you cannot live without._

I literally smacked myself in the forehead. It was so obvious! Duh, It was Jacob!

I re-focused my thoughts. I thought about how Lester could have hurt my wolf. I thought about how Jake knew right away, before anyone, that I was in danger. I focused on how upset he was during the meeting my family had.

He was mad because I could have been hurt. I then thought about how I would feel of _he_ was hurt. I started to hear a strange growling sound. It took a second to realize, it was coming from me.

_Okay, you're mad. This is good. Focus on Jacob. Focus on Jacob!_

All of a sudded, I could feel a sort of snap happen in my head. Wowzers! That didn't feel great at all. But wait, did I do it?

Just then, the door to the library flew wide open and Jacob came running in.

His eyes searched the room menacingly before landing on my own. He ran over, scooped me up off the floor and just held me against his chest.

"Oh thank goodness!" He seemed releived.

"Jake? What's going on?" I was so confused.

"The craziest thing just happened, I was on my way back here, and I felt like you were in danger... well actually, like _I _was in danger?" He wore a look of confusion.

"I don't know, I just had this urge to protect you." He let out a sigh of releif.

I used my gift to speak to him.

_My Jake, I'm ok! I'm sorry for scaring you like that._

"Hey, it's ok. You didn't do anything honey. It was me." He assured me.

_Actually... I may have been thinking about Lester hurting you. _I added with embarrassment.

"What?" He half growled. "Why would you be thinking of that?" He questioned.

"Well, it was the only way for me to push myself into activating this mental sheild thing that Grandpa thinks I can do. I am so sorry for worrying you." I really did feel bad about this. It's not fair to him.

That's when my father stormed the room.

"Renesmee!" He exclaimed.

_Yes, daddy?_

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright. I couldn't hear you anywhere in the house." He too, seemed relieved to find me.

_I'm fine dad. Just trying to work on my meditation like you said. _I thought to him.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked

Was he serious?

"I just told you!"

"No, you haven't said a word. Why are your thoughts so silent?" He was starting to get upset now.

But, wait. Did he just say that my thoughts were silent?

Gasp! It worked!

"Dad! Jacob! It worked!" I jumped out of Jacob's embrace and sprinted a few laps around the room. I was thrilled! I finally did it!

"What is going on in here?" My mother asked as she walked into the library.

"I was working on my mental sheild, and it _worked!_" Nothing could bring me down right now. I just expanded my gift. I could now carry on with my plan... wait.

"Dad, try to read my mind."

_Testing, one, two, three. Is this thing on?_

My father looked at me with a strange expression. It's the look he gets when trying to read my mother's mind and she won't let him.

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

"See, Kiddo? I knew you could do it! Just takes a little practice is all." Jake was always cheering me on. It's one of the reasons why he is my favorite person.

I wonder how long I can keep this up though. Will my mind be blocked in my sleep? Do I have to concentrate on it all day?"

"I am proud of you, Daughter. Though, I wish you weren't in such a hurry to gain more privacy." He looked weary.

"Why? Is there something I should know about?" I knew they weren't going to tell me anything, but I had to try.

He smiled. "No honey, It's just hard for a father to watch his baby girl grow up so quickly."

Good save.

"I can't wait to tell everyone! Where's Seth?"

It's not like I could just call up some friends and share this amazing development. For one, all my friends are my family and the wolves. For two, If I _did_ have friends, this would have to be another secret I kept locked away.

"He should be here soon actually. What do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Jake asked me.

I thought about trying to get him to tell me the truth about everyones behavior today, but thought maybe I should wait a while. See how this mental sheild thing plays out.

"Let's go play cop's and robbers."

I loved playing that games like that with Jake, Seth, and my Uncles. Chasing, and being chased around by super speedy guys helps me get faster and faster each time.

"Sound's like a plan." Jake said.

"Jacob, remember what I told you." My father whispered to him.

Jake made eye contact with my dad and did a quick nod.

Yupp. They were definitely hiding something.

**A/N: Next chapter the Amazonians come visit. Thanks for reading.**


	9. Confidence

**Chapter 9: Confidence**

**Bella's POV:**

I don't understand how we've found ourselves in this situation, _again._ After the Vultori left and deemed Renesmee legal in the vampire world, we thought everything would be perfect forever. Now here we are, trying to protect her from another vampire.

I worry endlessly for my baby girl. She's only been alive for a short period of time and cannot seem to stay out of danger. Even though nothing has actually happened to her yet, it still puts me on edge to know someone out there wants her harmed.

Everyone has stayed on their gaurd since Lester made himself known. The most unnerving part is that we cannot get a beat on him. It's like he showed up and disappeared in the same day. Jacob and the other wolves haven't sniffed him out yet and our family has not seen or heard anything suspicious. That has not stopping us from losing focus though.

I know he's out there. He has to be. He came all this way to see her. If Edward says Lester wants her, we have to take that seriously. We have no idea what kind of powers this vampire possesses or if he has allies amongst us as well.

That's why we've been keeping Renesmee on such a short leash. There are too many unknowns in this situation. We've grown too accustom to knowing things before they happen, and knowing the true intentions of those who want to harm us. This time it's different and has not been easy on our family.

As hard as it's been on us as her parents, I know this has been hard on Nessie as well. We have been doing everything we can to keep calm and to not worry her. She's still so young and will only be small for a short amount of time. I don't want to taint her childhood with more memories of fear and danger.

It has now been five weeks since Alice forsaw Zafrina and Senna coming to visit.

It was ealry in the morning, the sun barely risen, when the Amazonians finally made their appearance.

The very tall, wild, and beautiful women meet us a couple miles away from the big house first, then we all ran back home together. Renesmee was still in our cottage sleeping with Rosalie, Emmett, and Jacob (of course) watching over her. She was going to be thrilled when she woke up.

After my half-human child had woken up, bathed, and had breakfast, she was more than ready to reconnect with her old friends.

The entire family, plus Jacob, gathered in the livingroom of the main house to cath up on all that's happened in the past year with our guests. That's when Renesmee made her grand entrance.

"Oh, my Child! How you've grown." Zafrina greeted my baby with a hug.

"Yes, indeed. You have grown into a beautiful young lady." Senna also gave her a hug.

It's funny, these woman aren't necessarily the physical contact type. They mostly kept to themselves on their last visit. They even live alone, away from all civilization. When they're with Renesmee, they really seem to come alive. My daughter is magical that way.

"Zafrina! Senna! I have missed you! I am so happy you both are here!" Renesmee beamed.

"Of course, young hybrid. We told you we'd be seeing you again. How have you been?" Zafrina asked her.

"I've been good. I actually just expanded my gift not too long ago. I can now create a mental sheild so I can block mental attacks and keep my father out of my head!" She said that last part with a very defiant look twords Edward.

He just rolled his eyes.

"That is very good to hear. I sensed greatness in you from the moment we met." Senna praised.

"I was actually hoping... maybe you could help me expand my gift even more?" Nessie asked the women nervously.

The two sisters with long, wild hair, and red eyes looked at eachother and smiled.

Simultaneously, they both replied.

"Why do you think we came all this way?"

**Renesmee's POV:**

For the past week, I've done nothing but practice my projection skills with my Amazonian friends. I know they cannot stay long between their need for human blood, and their hatred of wolf smells, so I was going to make the most of this visit.

I seemed to be the only vampire who actually _liked_ the smell of the wolves. It reminds me of the woods and the way leaves smell in the fall. I liked Jacob's wolf scent the most. It calms me down and makes me feel safe. It reminds me of warmth- his warmth. He's like my own personl sun.

Expanding my projection gift was much easier than activating my shield gift. It came much more naturally and I had a blast while doing it. It really helped to have the sisters teaching me instead of figuring it out on my own.

I starterd with only being able to project a thought or image through my hand by touching someone's face. Slowly, I was able to project things by touching the person's arm, then hands. Now, I'm able to project my thoughts without touch at all, but I still have to be close to them.

I also learned, I cannot project things to people, without touch, while simultaneously keeping my mind blocked. That is a tricky one that may take years before I am able to keep up that amount of concentration.

I am happy that I learned how to block my thoughts first though. I would hate to accidentally project things to a room full of people. That would be embarrassing... and dangerous. Couldn't really explain that one to the humans.

While I'm projecting by touching someone, I can still keep my mind sheilded. That was a win for me. To be able to have a private conversation with someone next to me could really come in handy.

I was through the moon with excitement. I feel like a whole new world opened up to me in the past few weeks. Developing my gift has given me a new confidence. I don't feel as usless as I did in the past. Everyone in my family has such amazing talent and power that I was feeling below average. It is nice to know that I'm talented too. Still working on the power part though.

I was taking a short break from the projection training to watch my family and Jake's wolves fight training with eachother. They had paired up and ran a two on two sequence. It was really fun to watch.

Currently, It was Uncle Emmett and Quil versus Auntie Rose and Leah. For this particular drill, Quil and Leah were in their human forms instead of their stronger, faster wolf forms. Of course they were no match for a full vampire while in human form but learning how to work together, with my family, has made them stronger.

Awhile back, Leah had the idea that all the wolves should learn hand to hand combat in human form. Her reasoning was so they could better protect their people in situations where they cannot expose themselves as wolves. I think she was very smart to notice their weaknesses and make them stronger. I really like Leah, she's super cool and clever. I'm glad Jacob made her his second because I know he'll be safe with her around.

"Little one, why are you sitting on the sidelines? Do you not wish to learn self defense?" It was Zafrina who asked me.

I pulled a few blades of grass from the Earth with my fingertips and threw them into the air.

"My dad says I'm too young to learn this stuff. He doesn't want me to get hurt." I told her. Even I could hear the disappointment in my voice.

"You are never too young to learn self defense. The smaller the person, the more vulnerable."

Wow, she had a point. I guess I never really saw it that way before.

"Yeah, well tell that to my father." That would be pointless though. He wasn't going to budge on the matter.

"Oh, I think I will." She said matter-of-factly.

Huh? was she crazy?

As I watched her float across the yard to confront my dad, I came to the conclusion that yes, yes she was.

**Edward's POV:**

Well... that was interesting.

Once Zafrina, _so kindly_, pointed out how Renesmee would be better off knowing how to defend herself, things became a little out of hand.

I explained to her our concern for Nessie's safety, since she is a creature who bleeds, but Zafrina was not having that apparently. She sees no reason why Renesmee should be left out of training. Apparently, where she's from, woman are taught how to fight from a young age and are expected to protect themselves. She also remined me of how the wolves bleed as well, so my argument was invalid.

Of course once this knowledge was shared with the women of my own family, they quickly agreed with her. The men of my family... not so much. Then, it turned into a big male versus female debate and you could probably predict how that turned out...

So now, my little mericle was standing in the center of the training circle, ready to face off with Leah. Renesmee is about as strong as an unphased wolf and with Leah being the smallest one of the pack, it only seemed fair. As a father, this is a very stressful scene to watch.

Before sending her into battle against the only female wolf, Jasper gave her a few demonstrations on techniques she could use to evade an enemy's grasp. That was all I would allow her to do for now. This was about self defense, not turning my baby girl into a fighter.

We all stood in silence, nervously waiting to see how our family's youngest member would hold up against a superhuman woman. The only sounds to be heard were Renesmee's speedy heartbeat, her steady breathing, and the other human shapeshifters.

The Wolves' heartbeats were slower and their breathing was not so steady. I'm sure they were feeding off of Jacob's energy, and he wasn't much happier about this than I was.

Leah had also given her alpha a peice of her mind regarding Renesmee's ability to protect herself. Since then, he's been standing silently, with a bitter look etched on his face. Even though Nessie's up against his own packmate- someone who is bound by law to never hurt her- his need to protect my daughter was still strong. Hearing this in his mind did nothing to keep my own instincts in check.

_Relax, Edward! Leah would never hurt Nessie! This is for her own good!_ Alice's thoughts invaded my mind.

I took an unessacary breath.

_I can still 'see' you intervening! Stay out of this! _Alice practically screamed at me in her head.

"I know you didn't have a vision, Alice! Don't try pulling that on me." I looked my sister in her eyes.

"So? I still know things, Edward!" She placed her hands on her hips and stuck out her tounge. How could she be so childish in a time like this?

I grunted and refocused on Renesmee.

"You hurt my neice, and I'm hurting you!" Rosalie shouted to Leah.

"Rosalie!" Esme scolded.

Maybe it wasn't me Alice should be worried about.

"Rose, try to give Leah some credit. This won't be easy for her either." Jasper chimed in. I could tell he was feeling the various emotions amungst us.

He wasn't wrong. In Leah's mind, I could see the conflict she's in. Her natural instict to hunt a vampire while also being bounded by wolf laws to not hurt an imprint and also to protect humans. Along that with the fact that Renesmee appears to be a young, helpless child, really has her instincts being pulled in diffrent directions. Contrary to how she's perceived by a few, Leah has no ill will twords my daughter. She loves her like family. It is for that reason that I allowed this match between them.

"Relax, everyone. I'm perfectly in control. I know what I'm doing." Leah announced to the crowd.

"You've got this squirt! Give her hell!" Emmett encouraged his neice.

"Emmett, chill out. It's only defensive maneuvers." Embry grumbled.

Standing in between the two ladies, Jasper acted as the ref.

"Alright darlins, I want a nice, clean fight. Leah, no wolfing out. Nessie, no projections. Y'all got that?"

Both gals gave him a nod. He then backed away to stand next to Esme and Carlisle.

"Are you ready?" Leah asked Renesmee as she sunk further into her stance.

"I am ready" she responded, while also getting into position.

Suddenly, Leah left her gaurded stance to lunge towards Renesmee. I could feel everyone who was watching tense up. I could hear the nervous thoughts of my family grow louder and louder.

Leah was able to get passed Renesmee's defense and put her in a standing, full Nelson hold. Bella made a slight movement twords our baby girl. Her mother instincts telling her to intervene, but it was Alice who stopped her.

"Just watch..." Alice whispered.

After being held by Leah for three seconds, Renesmee quickly maneuvered out of her grasp and was able to push her opponent away. Leah recovered herself from stumbling and got back into a crouch.

Everyone was in absolute awe. I couldn't beleive what I just witnessed.

With a big smile on her face, Leah congratulated Renesmee on a job well done.

"I'm going to do the same thing, but a little faster. Think you can handle that?"

"Oh yea. Bring it."

I could tell Renesmee was really enjoying this. I've only seen her this joyful when we hunted. Come to think of it, if she's capable of hunting wild animals, she should be capable of training. I looked over to where Zafrina was standing next to Alice. Both woman shared the same know-it-all smirk.

_See? _

Alice thought to me.

_Told you so._

Zafrina had her arms crossed over her chest. It was amazing how much confidence she had in my daughter. Maybe I should learn from her.

To be quite honest, I don't know why I was so worried. My little girl was fast! Much faster than I anticipated her being. I'd like to think she gets that from me, but who knows? Renesmee has always an extraordinary child, of course today wouldn't be any different.

Leah continued to come at her with various "attacks" and Nessie continued to evade her. Wether she was caught first and broke free or avoided being caught all together, she succeeded everytime.

"Dad! Jacob! Can you believe it!? I didn't even get hurt! I knew I could do it!" She giggled.

Jacob ran over to her and threw her high in the air before catching her in his arms.

"Good job, Kiddo! You were amazing! I'm so sorry I ever doubted you." Jacob's praise caused Renesmee to blush.

"Thanks, Jakey." She wiggled herself out of his embrace.

I watched with pride as my not-even-two-year-old leaped high into the tree tops with excitement. With her new found confidence, she was swinging from tree to tree before flying back down with a few summersalts to stick the landing. She was truly fascinating to watch.

After her celebration was over, she walked over to where Leah was standing next to Embry and Seth.

"Leah! Thank you so much for training with me. Can we please do this again sometime?" Renesmee asked her.

With a warm smile, she replied "of course, Nessie".

"Yay! That way we can spend more time together too!"

"I'd love that." And she ment it. Her thoughts did not betray her.

Later that evening after Renesmee had been tucked into bed at our cottage, Bella, Jacob, and I found ourselves sitting together in the livingroom.

"Man, what a day!" Jacob broke the silence.

"Indeed, it was." I agreed with the wolf.

"I have to admit, as her mother, I was still nervous about her training, but I have never been more proud." Bella stated.

And I agree. I am also very proud.

"This is a good thing though... with _you know who_ creeping around. It's nice to know she wouldn't be totally helpless." Jacob thought out loud.

The mentioning of Lester made us all tense up. With all the fun we were having today, it was easy to forget why we were training in the first place. I'd have to thank Zafrina for opening our eyes to Renesmee's capabilities. She was right, Nessie is better off being able to protect herself in situations where we would be unable to.

The day finaly came where our non-vegatarian guests had to leave. Renesmee was sad of course, but was very thankful for all they've done for her in their short visit. I'm sure the three of them will be close friends for life. That made me happy.

Being the rare, special child she is, Nessie needs as many close friends as possible.

**A/N: Gotta love Zafrina. Telling Edward what's what.**


	10. The Truth

**A/N: Hello all! Thanks for those of you who follow the story and review. It actually means a lot! I started this story strictly for fun and didn't expect anyone to actually read it. So, super exciting for me to see some followers on here! This chapter is all in Nessie's POV. Enjoy!****=**

**Chapter 10:** **The Truth**

**Renesmee's POV:**

It had been two weeks since Zafrina and Senna went back to their home in the Amazon and I already missed them so much. I had an amazing time with them here. I learned how to expand my projection gift and how to evade an attacker. I really hoped they come visit again, soon.

Since they left, I have been testing my newfound abilities and practicing more with Leah. It's great to have something new to occupy my time. I don't have homeschool during the summer so it's easy to get bored. Especially when you have a vampire brain like mine and can learn quickly. I hate learning the same thing over again, because I can remember everything the first time.

I really loved that I can spend more time with the only female wolf. I know she gets a bad rep for her attitude, but honestly, that's one of my favorite things about her. From what I've heard, she didn't have the easiest life before I was born. She's been through a lot of heartache and obstacles that most people would never experience. The fact that she keeps going and tackles all things that stands in her way is very admirable. She's tough, strong, and doesn't take anyone's crap. I think I want to be like her when I grow up.

The only thing I wish were different, is her relationship with the rest of my family. Everyone seems to get along fine, but I know some of it's forced for my sake. I can understand though, how hard it is to be freinds with your natural enemies. It is a weird concept to me though, thinking of how the wolves and vampires used to hate eachother. My whole life, they've been friends. Family even.

I am very glad that things are different now. If not, I wouldn't have been able to be best friends with my Jacob. Then I'd never know Seth, Leah, any of the other wolves, or Claire. Just even thinking of that makes me sad, because they are my family too.

Soon, my grandpa Charlie is going to marry Sue Clearwater, so that would make us all officially family. Their wedding is set for July 20th and it's only two weeks away. I know that's going to be hard for Leah. I really hope she can learn to like my mom because I think they would make good friends. Seth, on the otherhand is as excited as I am to be family. Even though he'll technically be my uncle, he's like my big brother. Everyone in my family loves Seth. Even my Aunt Rose and she doesn't really like anyone who isn't family.

Now that I have better control over my mental sheild, I thought now is a good time to carry out the rest of my plan. The first step was to not get caught with mind reading. Check. Now, I just have to get Jacob to tell me the truth.

Even though things have calmed down since Zafrina and Senna left, I could tell there was still some hidden tension. I'm stil being gaurded throughout most of my days. My family is still training more frequently than normal, and I've only been able to hunt close to the house with _the whole family_ there with me. All eight Cullen vampires and Jacob. That especially seemed too excessive for everything to be "okay".

It was another sunny day in Forks. We were in the first week of July, so the sun was more than welcome. Well, not for the rest of my family anyway.

Wait. That's it! The sun! My family cannot leave the secluded woods around our house with the sun shining so brightly... But Jacob_ can._ This was it, this was my time to get the information I needed.

I looked up to where my father was playing the piano to make sure he didn't catch any of that. Even though I know my sheild is up, I still get paranoid that he's just pretending he can't hear me. He seemed to be preoccupied by the new composition he was writting. My dad wanted to play something new for Grandpa and Sue's wedding.

Once I was sure my thoughts were private, I took inventory of the rest of my family. My mother was watching my dad, mesmerized by his music. My Grandma was watering the various plants she kept in the house. I could hear my Grandpa flipping the pages of a book up in his office. Uncle Emmett was watching a soccer game, very intensely; I think he has money on the game. Auntie Rose was sitting next to her husband, painting her nails. My aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper were no where to be found. They must be off somewhere doing mushy grownup things. Gross. That just left me here, sitting on the floor, waiting for Jake to be done patroling.

I hated when he had to patrol. He's my bestest friend and he always has to be away for parts of the day doing wolf responsibilities. I understand he's one of the Alphas, but I just missed him so much when he was gone.

He truly gets me, more than anyone else does. Plus, I always feel safter with him around. Not that I don't feel safe with my family, just... Jake has something else about him that makes me feel at home.

Just then, my best friend walked through the front door. It's almost as if he knew I needed him right now. When he came in, he walked straight to me and pulled me into a hug.

"Jake! I'm so happy you're here! I really missed you today." I said to him as I snuggled myself into his embrace.

"I know the feeling Kiddo, I am happy to see you too." He kissed the top of my head.

"Alright, alright, we all know you missed eachother. Can you go be weirdos somewhere else? Trying to watch the U.S. team kick some ass. Thanks." Uncle Em was so grumpy when he had money on a game.

"I don't know why you bet on us winning against Brazil. You do know they dominate in soccer, don't you?" My mother retorted.

Everyone was suprised to hear Bella, of all people, speak on sports. We all looked at her with questionable expressions. Even my dad stopped playing the piano for a second.

"What?" She questioned. "I learned a few things while living with Char- I mean, my dad." She corrected.

"I guess..." Uncle Em started "but It's still good to root for the home team. Ever hear of patriotism?"

No one answered his rhetorical question. Then Jake broke the silence.

"_Anyway_, since we're clearly bothering big head over there" Jake said while jabbing a thumb in Uncle Em's direction, "What do you say we take this party outside?"

This was it. Now's my chance.

"Actually, I'd love to get out of the house and spend some time together, just the two of us." I told my best friend.

My uncle started wiggling his eyebrows in our direction before my dad sent him a growl and Aunt Rose smacked him on the shoulder. Whatever that was about could wait till later, I had to focus on getting Jake away from my family today.

"Well, what would you like us to do?" He asked me.

"Well... it has been awhile since you've taken me to the beach at LaPush. Could we go there?" That way, my family couldn't follow us, it was too sunny for them to go anywhere today.

Jake glanced in the father's direction before responding "I don't know... that's a little far from the house don't you think?"

"What's wrong with being away from home? Do you not want me on the reservation?" I fake pouted.

Obviously, I knew that wasn't the reason he was declining, but I had to try.

His eyes grew wide and he started stammering "No, not at all! I really hope you don't think that Nessie. I love having you around LaPush, It's just...-"

"I think it'd be good for Renesmee to get out of the house today and have some fun." My mom interjected.

"Really?" Both my dad and Jake said at the same time.

"Yes. She's been here practically all summer, she probably feels like a prisoner." She replied with a meaningful look twords them.

They took a second to think about her words before my father agreed.

"She's right, you deserve to have some fun away from us." My dad said, then looked to Jake "But, I want you to bring Seth and Leah with you."

"Good idea... It'd be good for you to have some bonding time with our new family members." My mom added.

I could tell that was her excuse as to why I'll have two babysitters following us around. I didn't like that I won't be alone with Jake, but that'll just have to do.

After Jake called Seth and Leah, it only took twenty minutes before we were all piled in my dad's Volvo and headed to First Beach. I got to sit in the front passanger seat while the Clearwater siblings were smushed together in the back. I tried to offer Leah the front seat, but she insisted that I sit next to Jake. I was thankful for that though, this trip _was_ supposed to be about us afterall.

I used this time in the car to ask Jake some questions. Touching his arm, I projected my thoughts directly to his mind. Not even bothering to beat around the bush, I jumped right into the deep end.

_Why has my family been acting so weird latey?_

"Huh? How do you mean?" He played dumb.

I rolled my eyes.

_C'mon Jake. I'm not stupid, I can tell something is wrong. Please, be honest with me._

I could sense he was getting nervous. I could see little beads of a sweat forming on his forehead. That has to mean he's hiding something.

_My __Jake, whatever it is, you can tell me. We tell eachother everything. Right?_

He took a nervous breath.

"Whatever kind of secret conversation you two are having up there, you should clue us in." Leah said with her arms folded over her stomach.

"Yeah guys, It's a little awkward back here." Seth backed up his sister.

I decided I might as well tell them. Maybe I could get some information from them too. I turned around in the seat to face them.

"Well, I've been noticing how different my family has been acting since that meeting about Lester. You know, the nomadic vampire who found us while hunting. You guys remember him, right?" I knew they did. I just wanted to see if they were lying too.

"Lester?" Seth was also playing dumb.

"Oh... you mean the lea-vampire with the weird dress clothes?" Leah asked in a tone that was higher than her normal voice. Yup. Liars.

"Yes. That one. Well, ever since he showed up, I've been on lockdown and you guys train a whole lot more than you used too. Also, I don't get to hunt without my entire family with me _and_ I have to have babysitters." I decided it was time to lay it all out there. Maybe if they knew how much I actually caught on to, they'd just tell me the truth.

"Babysitters? When do you have those?" Jake asked.

I gave him a deadpan look. Was he seriously thinking I wouldn't notice? We literally had two with us right now! Goodness they were really sticking to this lie.

Just as I was about to lose my patience, Leah confessed.

"Alright Nessie, you caught us."

"Leah!" Both Jake and Seth yelled.

"What!? Obviously she knows. Everyone else might be okay with lying to her, but I'm done. She's better off knowing anyway."

"LEAH! Stop talking!" Jake was getting mad. Like _really mad._ I haven't seen him this angry with Leah before.

Without touching him I projected my disapproval to Jake. Leah didn't deserve to be in trouble when she was just trying to help me out. I must have accidentally projected to Seth and Leah too, beacuse Leah thanked me for having her back.

Jake let out a long frustrating sigh.

"Fuck! Edward is going to kill me now!"

He then looked over to me "I'm sorry for swearing, you didn't need to hear that. But damnit, Leah! Do you want me to die?"

"Not my fault you're too afraid of Edward to make your own decisions." With that, she half turned to look out the window.

"So, you were only lying to me because my dad made you?" I asked

"Sweethart, the only reason I'd _ever_ lie to you, is because of your dad. Please understand that." He half whispered that last part.

I wonder what he means by that? Has he lied to me before because of my dad? Will he do it again? I could wait till later to think about that. Right now, I was just happy to be finally getting some answers.

"Jake, I will forgive you if you can just please tell me what the heck is going on?" I did my best puppy eyes even thought he was looking straight ahead at the road.

There was a few minutes that passed in silence. I was beginning to think he was going to ignore me, then suddenly he whispered "He want's you."

"What?" What did he mean?

He spoke louder with a growl "Lester! He want's to take you away from me!"

As soon as my brain registered what he said, my heart dropped down into my stomach. _This _was why my family has been acting strange? Lester wants to take me away? Why? What did I do? What will he do with me? My head was filled with a million questions and fears.

As terrified as I was about this news, I still couldn't help but feeling betrayed.

Why did my family lie to me? If it's me he wants, shouldn't I be the one to know about it? Everyone knew this whole time and here I am, being so cluless. I can't believe they couldn't trust me with this information. When will they learn that I am NOT a freaking baby! Why do they keep treating me like one? I can practice defending myself but I can't know I'm in danger?

I was too caught up in my thoughts and hurt feelings to notice that Jake had pulled the car over. He unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled me into his lap. I hadn't even noticed I was crying until this moment. Leah and Seth were still in the back seat but they didn't make a sound.

"How could you all lie to me like that?" I asked between huffs of tears.

"Nessie, I am _so sorry_. I never wanted to keep this from you. Please, you have to understand it wasn't my decision to make. I hope you can forgive me." He begged.

I couldn't even reply. My emotions took over full force and I was in a straight up panic attack. I lost focus on my sheild and let all the hurt feelings out for everyone to hear, see and feel with me. I was scared, sad, but most of all, I was angry. I didn't care that I was embarrassing myself. I didn't care if I stained Jake's shirt with my tears. I just cried and cried as he held me.

**=**

**A/N: Thanks for reading! **


	11. Problem

**A/N: This one is short so I'll double post. Happy reading!****~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

**Chapter 11: Problem**

**Bella's POV:**

"Edward, honey, please try to relax a little." I attempted to calm my husband.

Since Jake had taken Renesmee to the beach with the Clearwater siblings, Edward has been acting out of character. He turned to face me with a crazed look in his eyes.

"How could you be so calm about this? Today could be the day Lester comes for her and she's far away from us. The worst part is we are confined by the woods and this house because of the damn sun! Does none of this concern you?"

He was frantic at the moment. Currently, we were standing in the window that faced the back of the house. The sun was shining directly inside and bounced off our diamond-like skin. Any human who passed by at this moment would know forsure something was not right with us.

"Look. I love you and I understand you are having a hard time, but do not think for _one second_ I am not concerned about my baby. Do you understand what I am saying to you?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Looking into my eyes, he studied me for a moment. Realizing who exactly he was speaking to, he relaxed his face and pulled me into a hug.

"Yes, I understand. I apologize, love. It won't happen again." He kissed the top of my head.

He could be as on-egde as he wanted to, but no one, not even my own husband, gets to question my concern for Renesmee. I am her mother for goodness sake. I literally gave my life for her and I'd do it again. The love I have for her is like no other.

I hugged him back. "Good."

He huffed out a frustrated sigh. "Why did you have to tell them it was okay to leave us today? Of all days?"

"Edward, she needs some time away from this house!"

"She goes to our house too... and Charlie's" he countered.

"Our little cottage across the river and the home of the Cheif of Police, are not all she should see as a child. She needs to have more experiences and we need to accept that we cannot give her all of those things, being what we are."

"Bella, of course I've accepted that! You do recal I've been pretending to be human longer than your grandmother has been alive? I understand that we will have to make sacrifices if we want her to have a normal life in our abnormal reality, but... Arghh!" He turned away from me and started pulling his fingers through his hair until it looked wild.

Something was really eating at him today. I thought of the only other topic that made him act this way.

"Is it Jacob? I thought you trusted Renesmee with him? I thought we agreed on that?"

"It's not Jacob! It's just... it's..." he let out another frustrating growl that eneded in a sigh. "It's Lester."

"He's been gone for over a month now. I understand we should still worry, but at what point do we start living our lives? We can't keep her on lockdown forever."

"We have no idea where he his and when he'll be back! Yes, It's been more than month now, but to a vampire as old as he is, that's nothing. Time is nothing to him as long as he gets what he wants." He turned back to me again and softened his voice "Bella, his mind... it was not right. I'm telling you, there is something he's hiding. He wouldn't let me in, just that tiny slip... but, I know there's something else beneath that thought. I can feel it."

His eyes held so much emotion. All the confidence I had earlier while telling Jake to take Renesmee to the beach, vanished. What was I thinking? Yes, she deserved some time away but why didn't I consider the sun? What if something happened and we were stuck in this house!

The back door opened suddenly and with a 'bang'. Together, we dashed into the kitchen to meet a very frantic looking Alice with Jasper hot on her heels.

"Bella! Edward! We have a problem!"

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

**A/N: Please review **


	12. The Uley's

**Chapter 12: The Uley's**

**Jacob's POV:**

My poor angel. My sweet, innocent imprint was crushed by the news I was practically forced to give her. I could feel how she felt betrayed by all of the people she loved and trusted the most. I felt one hundred percent responsible for her emotions right now. It is my duty to protect her, that includes protecting her feelings.

This is not how today day was supposed to go. She shouldn't have had to find out this way. This was all Edward's fault. It was his idea to keep this from her and Bella backed him up. They were too worried she'd get nightmares again and ruin her childhood. He practically ordered me to keep my mouth shut about Lester and for what? Now my whole world was falling apart in my arms and I'm part of the cause. I have never felt so useless.

We had been parked on the side of the road for twenty minutes now as she cried. Nessie continuously projected to us images of anger and betrayal. Occasionally, she would trow in an image of Lester and his blood red eyes coming twords her. She replayed the scene from the clearing over and over; sharing her fear and panic about what the leach would do if he got his hands on her.

The only thing keeping me from exploding with sheer rage, was the fact that she needed me here to hold her. I could feel through our imprint bond, that if I let go, she would literally crumble. If I was really being honest with myself, I needed her too. As angry as I am, I'm still scared about what could happen to her. I feared that in the blink of an eye, my entire universe could end.

My cellphone kept ringing over and over. I saw that I had four missed calls. Knowing Alice, she most likely had a vision of Nessie coming home today with a tear stained face. That would actually be the best case scenario. I'm willing to bet she 'saw' Edward skinning me alive for traumatizing his maricle. That seemed more likely.

Ignoring the latest incoming call, I silenced my phone. Alice probably already told Edward something bad happened today. Who knows how much of it she was actually able to see though. Pulling out my phone, I sent a text message to Edward only letting him know his daughter was OK. They wouldn't be able to track us down with the sun being out, but I definitely didn't need panicking, vampire parents on my ass.

I decided it would be best for Nessie if she could have some time to cope with this news before going back home. She was clearly distraught and I'm sure Edward is going to rip me a new one when he sees us. That wouldn't be good for her either. Another twenty minutes passed before she finally started to calm down. I focused on rubbing cirlces on her back to keep my sanity. It was tearing me apart to see her this way.

"Did you still want to go to the beach?" I whispered to her.

_Not really. But... I can't face my family right now. _Her thoughts popped into my head.

"What if we didn't go to the beach, but somewhere else? I promise you'll be safe with me."

_Okay Jakey. I trust you._

After I cleaned up her childlike face and changed into the backup shirt I brought for myself, we found ourselves pulling into Sam and Emily's driveway. I cut the engine and got out to open her door for her. Leah and Seth jumped out after that. They both started stretching from being smushed so long but, didn't complain. I was thankful they were on their best behaviors today. I literally could not handle anything less than that right now. Not with my imprint in shambles.

Emily was the first to come out and greet us. She had a big smile on her face, despite the large scars that she wore.

"Oh, my beautiful Nessie! It is good to see you dear. How have you been?" She approached with her arms open.

In her state of fear and sadness, Nessie reverted back to acting her actual age. She was shy and clung onto me tightly. I've only seen her act this way a couple of times. One of those times was after she scraped her knee and bleed for the first time. It spooked her because she has never seen anyone bleed before. At least in not real life like she has on tv. It was very strange seeing my spunky, outgoing girl acting like the almost two year old she really was.

Emily picked up on this immediately and crouched down to her level.

"I made some chocolate chip muffins... would you like to come inside to have some?"

Emily knew Nessie hates human food. She also knew chocolate was her favorite. God bless this woman. I didn't have the motherly touch Nessie clearly needed in this moment and I was thankful for Emily now more than ever.

Nessie nodded her head and reached out to take the hand Emily offered her. I watched as they walked inside. I couldn't go in there just yet, I needed to calm down. I needed to run. Just then, Sam came outside.

"Go. I know you need it. We'll take care of her."

Im glad he understood. That was the nice thing about being around other imprinted wolves; they get it.

Without hesitation, I darted for the woods that lined the Uley property. I didn't phase into my wolf because I didn't feel like getting undressed at the moment. I had already used my backup shirt so I couldn't shred this one by phasing. I was still pretty fast as a human, so I took a fifteen minute lap around most of LaPush and then came back to my girl.

Walking into the Uley home, I came across a hartwarming scene. Nessie was sitting at the table with what appeared to be her second muffin. She somehow managed to get chocolate smeared on her smiling face. She was normally very clean and meticulous when she ate but, with her fear, she was still acting like a toddler. That must be her body's way of dealing with shock. I didn't mind though. It was nice to see her care free and not so serious.

Emily and Leah were cooing over how adorable she was being. Leah normally didn't care for children but Nessie was an exception. It was good she was getting some time with the woman of my tribe. If all goes well, Nessie would be one of them someday...

"The boys went into Sam's office. I'm sure they would like you to join." Emily said catching my attention.

"Sure, sure." I said to her, but not before kissing my angel on the forehead.

"You going to be okay?" I asked her.

"Yes, Jakey." _Thank you for bringing me here. _She added that last part via her gift.

I smiled at her and went to find my packmates.

We spent the rest of the day at Sam and Emily's house. After I gave Sam the run down on why Nessie was acting the way that she was, we started talking strategy on how we could find Lester. He suggested sending teams of two to patrol deeper into the Olympic National Park. Hopefully, we would at least catch his scent and get an idea of his location. He offered me two of his wolves to take the trip. I accepted and was grateful for the help. We decided Jared Cameron and Rodney Carr would be best fit for this mission.

Rodney is a newer wolf in Sam's pack. He's a nineteen-year-old who phased shortly after the Vultori left. He's a good guy and level headed, unlike my future brother-in-law, Paul. Yeah... I forgot to mention, Paul Lahote imprinted on my sister Rachel so eventually, he will join the family. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Along with Jared and Rodney, I decided to send Leah and Embry from my own pack. Since our wolves cannot communicate telepathy between both packs, two from each would be needed. Assigning Leah was an obvious choice for me. I knew I could trust her to make sure they all returned home safely. Embry was chosen because he's more experienced than Seth, and doesn't have his own imprint to stress about like Quil does. Since the Swan-Clearwater wedding is only a couple weeks away, we decided it'd be best to wait till afterwards to deploy the troops.

Taking advantage of this time with my co-alpha and Seth, we discussed rearranging the patrol schedules of both packs. I also gave them the heads-up on Neil Lahote's physical changes, letting them know he will be phasing for the first time, soon. We decided it'd be best if he joined Sam's pack instead of my own. I didn't really have the time or patience to train a new wolf right now. It was hard for me to stay focused and level headed with all that's going on with Nessie. On top of that Paul, Neil's older cousin, would be there to help Sam keep him in check since new wolves are typically more rowdy and irritable. It seemed that Seth, Quil and Rodney were the only wolves that remained calm natured.

The sun was setting now and I was dreading what I had to do next. If I didn't get Nessie back home soon, her vampire parents were probably going to storm the reservation. Treaty or not, they would do anything to protect their daughter. Saying goodbye to the Uleys, I gathered my now sleeping imprint and two of my closest packmates to pile back into the tiny Volvo. I decided to drop Leah off at her home along the way so she would not have to run directly back from Forks. Seth stayed with us since he'd most likely be crashing at the Cullens'.

I kept thinking of ways I could explain to Edward that telling Renesmee about Lester was not my fault. It didn't matter though, they'd all just be lame excuses. It'd be easy to put the blame on Leah, but she's my responsibility too. To be honest, I couldn't throw Leah under the bus because I was actually happy she said something. Now I didn't have to feel the guilt of lying to my imprint and I can be honest with her about my over-protectiveness.

Pulling into the big, Cullen driveway, I was meet face to face with a very menacingly looking Edward. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the car only to be punched square in the chest.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

**A/N: Dang! Did Jacob deserve that?**


	13. Blame

**A/N: Howd! This will all be in Jacob's POV. Hope you like it.**

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**Chapter 13: Blame**

**Jacob's POV**

Fuck! The vamp could hit hard! I grabbed my ribcage and clung to the side of the small car for support. I knew Edward didn't hit me as hard as he could have. If he really wanted to, he could've killed me with that one punch before I even saw it coming. Bet he wouldn't have tried that crap while I was a wolf though. I could already feel the cracked bones healing themselves, though It damn sure didn't take the pain away.

The next thing I did was look to see if Nessie was still alseep in the passenger seat. Thank goodness she was, she didn't need to see any of this. As I was getting up from my slumped position on the car, Seth had already gotten out of the back seat and was gearing up to phase.

"Seth, no! I've got this!"

On the opposite side of the Volvo, he gave me a bewildered look. "But, Jake? He just hit you!"

"I can handle it, just take Nessie inside." I ordered.

He looked back and forth between Edward and myself, unsure of what to do. I could tell he wanted to obey, but also didn't want to leave me here on my own. He was a good kid.

"Yes, Seth. Please take Renesmee inside. Jacob and I need to have a little _chat._" Edward growled.

So Alice _did_ see him killing me. Totally called it. With my ribs completely healed, I stood to my full height, looking down at the gold-eyed vampire.

Standing there, eyeing eachother, we waited for Seth to take Nessie into the house. When he didn't move to grab her from the car, Bella suddenly came running out in a blur. Just as quickly she came, she was gone, with her daughter in her arms. They were already back inside before I could say anything to her. Seth let out a grumble then followed Bella into the house.

"Do you understand the complete turmoil you've put us through today? Do you?!" His eyes were wide open like a crazed man.

"Edward, man, I'm sorry! I had no intention on telling Nessie about Lester! I was forc-" he cut me off.

"You told her about Lester!?" He roared "How could you deliberately disobey me like that, Jacob?"

Wait? He didn't know I told Ness about Lester? Alice must've missed that part...

"Then what the hell were you all pissy about!?" Now, I was fuming too. I could understand why he punched me earlier, but not anymore. I wanted to bite his hand off.

"You cannot just ignore our calls when you have my child! Imagine, the position we found ourselves in when Alice came to us in a panic saying that our baby girl was in complete hysterics!" Edward's voice grew louder and louder with each word.

I thought back to earlier today and remembered being too tied up in my imprint's emotional storm to think about the consequences of ignoring the calls. But then again, I did send a text.

"A _text, _Jacob?" He slowly paced in a cirlce while angrily yanking fingers through his hair.

"Here we are, binded to this house and these woods by the sun, with news that our babygirl's heart is _breaking_ with absolutly no idea if today was going to be the day she gets taken from us-" Man, if he were human, he'd be red by now. "-and you think that at measly '_she's O__K_' text was going to cut it? Do you understand how precious she is to us?"

Edward was her father and all, so I had to let him be angry with me and stuff, but that's when I pumped his breaks.

"Woah there, Cullen. I get that you're her parents and family and all that, but let's not start the 'who loves Nessie more debate' alright?"

Seriously, did he really think I'd lose that one?

At that, he smirked. Good... he was listening. I proceeded to replay every detail of today; making sure he understood why I did what I did.

"Now, I apologize for keeping her from you, but I am NOT sorry for putting her feelings above yours, alright? She needed me more than you needed closure. Nessie didn't want to come back here."

"So... this was all Leah's fault?"

"No!" I growled. "It's yours!" Was that seriously the only thing he concluded from this?

He didn't say anything to that. At this moment, Edward knew he couldn't blame anyone but himself. We continued to stare at eachother in silence, as the anger slowly dailed down. I didn't even notice how the sun had completely set. The porch lights were now turned on, illuminating his sharp facial features. I still wanted to mutilate him, but I knew that wouldn't be good for me later on. Nessie would be hurt more if I hurt him. I can't do anything that would hurt her...

"I apologize for hitting you." He was back to using a normal voice.

"Ha. Sure you are." I'm not buying it. I'm sure he enjoyed that.

"I really didn't... I meant it when I told you that you're family, Jacob."

"Yeah, that's still taking some time to get used to."

"We were just so worried. You cannot understand how releived I am to have Renesmee home. I'm upset she's aware of the true danger she's in... but, I'm so grateful she's still here, with us."

Yeah, no kidding.

"You know she's going to be pissed with all of you when she wakes up. Be prepared for that." I warned him.

He chuckled then held up his fingers to do the air quotes. "Yes, well, Bella is still going to 'be pissed' with you also."

I nodded and then Edward held out a hand to me. I looked at it for a moment before placing my own in his for a quick shake. I thought back to a different version of us; the one where I would have phased immediately and bit his head off on the spot. It's funny, I used to _hope_ that he would give me a reason to kill him. Not anymore. Things were so different now and it's all because of Renesmee.

After everyone else had been calmed down by Edward and I was done being interrogated, Seth and I decided to phase for a run.

_I'm glad Leah wasn't here to see that... she would have fought Edward herself. _Seth then displayed a scene of his sister fighting.

I laughed at the mental image. _Yeah, that wouldn't have been good._

_I don't like that he hit you, Jake. He could have really hurt you. I won't just sit by and watch next time._

_And neither will I, Seth. I let him get one in today, but that will be his last._

_I love the Cullens, but sometimes I don't fully understand your relationship with them._

_That's just life being imprinted to a child. Quil goes through similar struggles just with humans, not vampires. You'll understand if you ever end up in our situation._

_I definitely don't see that happening._ He laughed.

_Hey, man. Neither did I._

We stopped talking after that and focused on the run. The moon was glowing brightly tonight from the day of clear skys. This was my favorite time to be a wolf. The air was cool as it whipped through my fur. The ground was soft and yielding beneath my paws. The insects were loud but they created a peaceful melody. I loved being magically bound to my imprint, but in this moment, I was free.

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**A/N: We're going to be seeing more of Seth soon. Stay tuned. **


	14. Seth's Day Part 1

**A/N: Hello all! So sorry for how long this chapter has taken! Life's been busy so I didn't have much time to write. I am so excited to finally bring Seth into the foreground of this story. Hope you like it!****~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

**Chapter 14: Seth's Day Pt 1**

**Seth's POV:**

_"...and that now brings the total to three woman who have went missing in the past six weeks. Sources say there is no real connection to the abdu-" _the TV cut off.

"Tsk tsk. This is why I don't live in a big city. Too much crime." Charlie grumbled from the kitchen.

"I agree... those poor woman." My mom replied with a heavy heart.

It was early in the morning on a Friday and I was just waking up, but still laying in my bed. I could hear everything happeing in the small house in Forks. Charlie was eating breakfast and getting ready for a fishing trip with Billy Black while my mom was spending some time with him before he left.

This was going to be my last night sleeping here for the next week. With their wedding being tomorrow, I figured they could use the, uh, _space_. I didn't mind though. Charlie's a good man and I'm happy my mom has someone to take care of her.

"Are you going to have to investigate this?" My mom nervously asked her fiance.

"Heck, no. We're going to let the deputies of Seattle focus on this. If they need us to help out they'll call."

"That's good. I don't like the thought of you in danger."

"Well it's a good thing not much happens around here."

"Yeah... good thing..." she trailed off.

I could tell she was uneasy. My mother, Sue Clearwater, knows the truth. She is on the Quilluet council after all. She knows all about the cold ones and magical shapeshifting wolves being more than just stories. She knows what the Cullens are and what I am. She knows what Nessie is.

I know it's been hard for her to keep such secrets from her soon-to-be-husband, but Charlie is a "paleface" after all. She is sworn to keep supernatural things from him. It won't be this way for long though.

After their honeymoon, the Council decided Charlie should be let in on the whole secret. With him being married to someone in the inner circle, his step kids being wolves, and his own daughter being a vampire, he's already in the center of it all. It was decided it would be in his best interest, and for the tribe, if the Fork's Cheif of police knew exactly what was going on and when things went above his pay grade, sort to speak. He would be able to help us keep up appearances and keep humans out of the forrest when there's danger. That's if everything goes well...

"Billy's here!" My mother announced. "Go, hurry, don't keep him waiting." She was practically pushing him out the door. I'm sure he understood though.

Today was going to be full of preparations for tomorrow's big event. Mostly just for the women. Some of us guys were put on set-up duty but it won't be much. Alice insists on doing most of it herself. So that leaves Charlie with a free day to have his "bachelor party". It was no surprise when he told us he just wanted to go fishing with his best bud, Billy.

Since Alice has been planning this wedding, she and my mom really started to bond. It wasn't easy at first; Alice _was _one of the villans in the stories my mom grew up hearing. After getting to know Nessie, she warmed up to the idea of befriending the rest of the Cullens. Her step-daughter will be a vampire for all of eternity, might as well be get used to one other. For wedding purposes, the Cullens have been granted acess to our territory. My mom refuses to get married anywhere else but her home.

I heard them smooch each other goodbye and her close the front door behind him.

"Seth, get up, I know you're awake." Knowing I could hear everything, she called to me in a normal voice from the floor below me.

Even though my mom didn't have supernatural powers, she still knew I was awake somehow. The power of moms I guess.

Getting up out of bed with a long stretch, I grabbed my bath towel and proceded to the bathroom. It's still kind of weird to me that I'm staying in Bella's old room, but Charlie had repainted it a dark green and added some manlier furniture, so it's not too bad.

Twenty minutes later, I was skipping down the stairs to greet my mother.

"Good morning, beautiful." I kissed her on the cheek.

"Good morning, my sweet son." She gave me a hug.

I know, I'm a momma's boy, but I can't help it. My mother is amazing. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple out the fridge.

"Did you hear the news this morning?" She asked in a more serious tone as I sat down at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, that's really aweful what's happening in Seattle." I said before taking a bite of apple.

"Do you think it's normal human crime or... something else?" She questioned me with a knowing look.

Chewing swiftly then swallowing, I told her the truth. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I haven't really been paying attention to other cities's crimes since Lester showed his ugly mug."

"He's still out there?" I could see her worry. Especially since tomorrow was supposed to be a day filled with love and joy.

I looked into her eyes "Do not worry about it okay? We've got this." I stood up from my seat and walked over to her. "Nothing is going to hurt you I swear it." She gave me a small smile. "Besides, we haven't even smelled him around here since the first day he came and that was amlost two months ago. We probably scared him off." Which is true. Its like he ran away or something.

She let out a deep breath "You're right. I shouldn't let this ruin my week of joy. Thank you Seth."

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

She thought for a moment. "No. I am excited, I just..." She trailed off her sentence and looked down at her feet.

"Dad approves. I know he does. He'd want you to be happy, and loved. He would want you to be taken care of." I told her with confidence.

She smiled another small, sweet smile.

"Thank you, son. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom. Now, don't you have some wedding stuff to do?" I looked at the time on the microwave, it read: 6:00. I shuddered. I'm never up this early unless it was for patrol.

"Yes, actually. Alice should be bombarding me at any moment."

As if on cue, the tiny, pixie vampire bursts through the front door with multiple bags of what I figured had to be dresses. Then she zipped back to her car and returned with more bags and boxes of who knows what.

"Hello, hello! Let's get this party started!" How on earth is she so cheerful at this hour? Oh. Duh. She never went to bed. She was probably antsy all night waiting for the sun to rise.

"I'll take this as my cue to leave." Without wasting any time, I launched myself out the house before I could get roped up in any of that girlie business.

Finishing up my apple, I thought about what to do with my day. I didn't have patrol since Jake gave me the day off from wolf duties. That gives me at least thirteen hours until I needed to set up for tomorrow. What the heck am I going to do until then?

Maybe I'll just stroll around town, see what the people are up to. Jake had encouraged us to do normal human activities on our days off. Being a wolf is very time consuming and can take away a lot of freedoms; personal time being one of them.

I decided to go to the res and walk around there. I ducked into the thick foilage that bordered the house, removing my clothing and folding it neetly as I could. I then tied the clothing around my ankle so I could change back into them when I got there. I know I'm supposed to have a human day, but it was so much more convenient to run to LaPush as a wolf rather than a human.

Finally arriving at the beach, I redressed, and emerged from the trees. The sun was so beautiful at this hour. The clouds have not rolled in yet so you could see the rays dancing off the ocean's surface. Taking a deep breath, I realized, I was not alone.

Looking out, across the stretch of sand, I saw a very familiar face. Walking up to her, I could see she was sitting alone, with her legs crossed as she admired the beauty of a new day. I knew she could sense my presence, so I didn't even bother with trying to be sneaky. I just plopped down in the sand right next to her.

"What a view." I broke the silence.

"Yeah. It's something." She then looked over to me and smiled, "Goodmorning little bro. I'm surprised to see you up at this hour."

Looking at my older sister, Leah, I could tell she had been up all night. She was wearing a loose-fitting sundress with bare feet. Her thick, black hair that reached just above her shoulders, was not tamed. I could see peices of broken leaves sticking to the strands.

"Like you're awake by choice. Were you patroling all night?" I asked as I pulled a few leaves from her hair.

"Maybe," was all she said.

We went back to sitting in silence, just enjoying eachothers company. I love my sister to death, but we didn't always get along. I really liked moments like these. They don't come around often enough.

"So... how are you holding up?" I focused my gaze on her now while she kept her gaze straight ahead on the water.

"Eh..." She shoulder shrugged, "I'll get through it."

"You always do."

She turned to face me and in that moment I could see what was really bothering her.

"I know. I miss dad too." I confessed.

Some tears welled up in her eyes before she quickly blinked them away.

"It's not fair, Seth." She whispered in a raspy voice.

"I know. I know. But, we have to look at the bright side of things. It's what's going to get us through this." I wrapped an arm around my only sister and pulled her to me. We continued to sit in a half-hug position for another ten minutes.

"You really like Charlie, huh?" She suddenly asked me.

"Yes, I do. I think he's good for mom. He really cares for her."

"You really like Bella too..."

"...Well yeah. She's not bad, Leah. I know things were crappy in the past but understand things are different now. The Cullens are not the enemy. They're all good people." I vouched for my unofficial family. "I think if you gave them a real chance, they might suprise you."

"Hmm.. I'll think about it." Her tone sounded harsh, but her eyes held hope. I know it's a lot to ask of her, but I really hoped she could become closer to the gold-eyed vampires. At least closer to our new step-sister, Bella.

"I'm glad you're here, Seth. This is nice."

"I agree. Aren't you tired though? I'm surprised you didn't go straight home and to bed." I chuckled. Leah was definitely not a morning person.

"I was on my way, then I got caught up in some old memories... The next thing I knew, you were sitting next to me."

I looked around the beach and without permission, my brain started recalling all of the fun times we had here with our dad. Skipping rocks, building sand castles and, of course, the many bonfires that were held here. Shaking my head from those thoughts before I could feel the sadness, I stood up from the sand. After brushing off my butt, I reached a hand out to my big sister.

"C'mon. I'll walk you home."

Without saying a word, Leah grabbed my hand and I pulled her to a standing position. She brushed the sand off of her as well and we proceeded to walk twords the road. It was a peaceful walk to her house since most of the people were still sleeping in. When we got within a blocks distance away, we could see a tall figure standing at her door.

"Expecting someone?" I raised an eyebrow at her. It was pretty early to have a guest.

"Goodness, no. I don't want anyone to see me like this." She said referring to her messy hair and lose dress she only used to change into quickly after phasing.

At that moment, the wind shifted directions and we could easily smell who the figure was.

"What's Embry doing here?" I asked out loud.

"Ugh, he's probably here to 'check in on me,' again."

Her answer suprised me. "He's been checking on you?"

"Yeah... He thinks I'm going to run off again. Made me promise I wouldn't." She sounded irritated by this.

"Ah." Was all I could say. I had no idea Embry cared so much. Hmm...

Once Embry noticed we were approaching him, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and backed away from her front door. Checking on her or not, this seemed fishy to me.

"Seth? Leah? What are you guys up to?" Embry asked in a rather nervous tone.

"Seth was just walking me home." She turned to me "Thank you, brother. I will see you later tonight."

It's like she didnt even care Embry was here. I watched as Leah walked right past him and into her home. We both stood there awkwardly as we heard the deadbolt lock. Embry was still staring at the door while I was staring at him.

"So... checking in on my sister?" I asked one of my best friends.

As if my question startled him he replied, "Huh? What? Me?"

I gave him a look.

"Look dude, Jake asked me to come here to make sure she was good. That's all."

"Yeah, I remember him saying that... two months ago." I raised another eyebrow at him.

Sniffing the air, I could smell nervousness pouring off of him.

"What are you hiding, Call?" I did my best to imitate Charlie while he was in interrogation mode.

"Dude, you're tripping. I've got nothing to hide. If I did, you would have seen it in our minds while we're phased. Remeber?" He tapped a finger to his temple.

I studied him for a moment and decided that maybe I _was_ "tripping". We're all a pack, it's normal for him to be concerned for our second in command. I decided to drop it... for now.

"I'm just giving you shit, man. How you been?" I shot him a smile to ease his nerves.

"I've been good. I'll be even better once we find Lester."

"Amen to that."

"I have about an hour to kill before my patrol shift starts. Wanna walk with me?" Embry asked.

"Yeah. Sure, man."

We aimlessly walked around the resreservation just catching up on things when we noticed Rodney Carr, sitting on a park bench, alone.

"Waddup, Rods!" Embry greeted him first.

He looked up at us and smiled. "Hey, guys. Peaceful morning, isn't it?" Rodney asked.

"Yeah, you could say so." I replied.

He took in a deep breath and let it out with a blissful sigh.

"What's got you all chipper?" Embry asked with folded arms.

"Man, I don't know what it is, but I just feel like something amazing is going to happen today." This guy was always optimistic. It's like his weird superpower.

"Well, I hope that works out for you, man." I said to him sincerely.

Suddenly, a small, white puppy came yipping at us and stopped directly in front of Rodney's feet. He looked down at the animal and smiled.

"Hey little guy, are you lost?" He bent down and started scratching behind the puppy's floppy ears.

"Oh my goodenss! I'm so sorry!" A tall, skinny woman with long hair came running over with a leash in her hand. "I hope he's not bothering you, we're still working on the whole leash thing" she said while joining our group.

"Oh don't worry about that, he's no trouble at all. Very adorable." Rodney said to the woman while still looking down at the dog.

She was a pretty good looking lady, if I were being honest. She had light brown eyes and perfect teeth. She didn't appear to be wearing any makeup and her hair was straight down her back. She looked to be about nineteen years old, if I had to guess.

"I think he likes you." She giggled to Rodney.

"I think I like him, too-" and that's when he finally looked up and made eye contact with her.

It was crazy. I've seen this through the pack mind and heard about it many times, but seeing it firsthand was something else. Just as soon as their eyes meet, Rodney's whole world changed. Just by looking at his face, I could see all the things that kept him here detach themselves from him and reattach to this strange girl he just meet.

"No way." I whispered in disbelief.

"Did he just...?" Embry caught on.

Rodney then scrambled to his feet while keeping full on eye contact with the girl.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" Rodney asked with wide eyes.

Wow, he just jumped right into the deep end with that one. He had so much confidence, I could feel it wafting off of him.

She blused and giggled while tucking some hair behind her ear.

"You're not too bad yourself." She winked.

"Aaannnd, that's our cue!" I said to Embry as I dragged him away. I didn't even bother with goodbyes, they wouldn't even notice we were gone. They were just standing there, ogling eachother like idiots. I cannot believe Rodney just imprinted!

"Wow! That was crazy, huh?" I said to Embry after we got out of Rodney's earshot.

"Yeah, totally."

"He's so lucky. Now he can be happy forever." I said with a touch of jealousy.

"You don't need to imprint to find happiness." Grumpled Embry.

I wonder what's got him all crabby?

"...Yeah... but you gotta admit, the imprinted couples seem happier than the 'regular' couples do." I pointed out to him.

"Not everyone imprints so there shouldn't be anything wrong with being OK with finding love the regular way." His tone was... bitter?

That's werid. Embry rarely showed feelings or talked about love for that matter.

Other than his excitement for killing vampries and being a sarcastic asshole, he wasn't one to talk to about serious topics.

"You OK, man?" I asked my friend.

He gave me skeptical look. "What? Why wouldn't I be? I gotta patrol. See you around." Just like that, he was gone.

I found myself alone, again. Now left to my thoughts, I replayed the talk I had with Leah. I really hoped she could find happiness too. Thinking about how easily Rodney was able to find his soulmate, I started to get my hopes up. It would be really cool if my sister could imprint and forget all the pain of the past. Who knows? Maybe, _I _could even imprint soon? Wouldn't that be wild? Guess I'll just have to wait and see what fate has in store.

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**A/N: More of Seth's POV next chapter. Will he discover Embry's secret crush on Leah? Will Leah ever feel the same way? What the heck is going on in Seattle?? Please review!**


	15. Seth's Day part 2

**A/N: Oh my goodness gracious! Life has been kicking my ass lately! My apologies for the long wait, I definitely did NOT want to be gone that long. Just know that no matter what, I WILL continue this story to completion. Thank you for waiting. Enjoy!****~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

**Seth's POV:**

"What? No way!" Jake exclaimed.

"Dude, Embry and I had front row seats. It really happened." I vowed.

"Well, what's her name?"

"It's... actually, I have no idea. We left before things could get mushy." I chucked as I replayed the memory of Rodney imprinting from earlier today.

"Good call" he chuckled back. "I'm happy for him." He smiled at me.

"Yeah, me too." I smiled back at my alpha.

After Embry left for patrol, I decided to make my way to the Cullen's to spend some time with Jake and Nessie. Currently, Ness was at their cottage, probably getting ready for the day, while Jake and I were sitting on the back porch of the main house. It was just before noon. Speaking of Nessie...

"Hey, how's Ness been doing?" I asked him.

She didn't take the news of how everyone kept Lester's intentions secret from her very well. That was actually an understatement. Renesmee was devastated. She cried and cried. She was still sleeping when we returned her to the Cullens that night, but when Nessie woke up the next day, she gave _everyone_ a peice of her mind. Literally. She projected her hurt feelings directly to us. We all felt like shit for days.

"She's doing better. Still a little upset at her parents, but she's coming around. She hasn't tried to leave the property again... I think the reality of the danger she's in has really set in." He got quiet after that.

"Sorry, man. I shouldn't have brought it up." I felt bad. This was really difficult for him. I mean, it was for all of us, but it was different for Jake.

He sighed. "No, no. You're good. It's better to talk about it. We all need to be on the same page."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find him, Jake. She will be safe."

"Yeah." He took a deep breath in and let it out. "I know. It's still hard though."

"I know, dude."

"Jaaake! Seeeth!" Nessie sang to us as she emerged from the woods with Bella and Edward in tow. "Yay! I'm so happy you guys are here!" She dropped her parents' hands and dashed over to us.

At the sight of his imprint, Jake immediately stood up and scooped her into his arms. "Of course, Kiddo! Where else would I be?" They shared a smile as she placed a hand on his cheek.

Even though Ness was now capable of sharing her thoughts without touch, she would still grab Jake's face from time to time. It was really cute, the two of them. Obviously their love was platonic, but you could definently see how much they were made for eachother. Whatever she said to Jake made him giggle. I shook my head with a laugh. Jake, giggling.

"Goodness, Ness. Did you grow again? I swear you weren't this tall yesterday... or heavy." Jake proceeded to lift her above his head a few times as if she were a free weight at the gym.

Bursting into a fit of giggles she exclaimed "Jaakkeyy! Put. Me. Down!"

I laughed out loud at this. She likes to act all grown and mature, until Jake comes around, then she's more playful and goofy. I guess you could say the same thing about Jake when Ness is around.

"I gotta hear those magic words!" With one hand placed behind her knees and the other hand holding her between her shoulder blades, he continued to do more reps.

"Plea-!" She was laughing too hard to fully say the word.

"Huh? What was that?" He then threw her high above his head, then caught her before she hit the ground.

"I HAVE TO PEE!" Renesmee half laughed half yelled.

Jake quickly let her down and she ran to the house with a blur behind her. Bella and Edward then came up to us, walking hand in hand.

"Hey, Bells." Jake greeted his best friend.

"Hey, Jake." Bella greeted him back.

"Edward." Jake nodded twords him.

"Jacob." Edward copied.

"Seth!" I added.

Three pairs of eyes looked at me with a question.

"Ha, sorry. I saw that on Shrek 2... you know? The one where everyone was saying eachother's names and Donkey came in saying his own name?" I chuckled thinking about the scene. "I always wanted to try it." Such an iconic moment. I loved the Shrek movies.

"...Interesting." Edward replied with a smirk on his face. He's probably 'heard' me replay that movie in my head hundreds of times.

"Hello, Seth." Bella walked up to me and pulled me into a hug. "Or should I say, brother?" She gave me a friendly smile.

"That's so weird." Jake pointed out.

"It wouldn't be the weirdest thing to have happened around here." Edward said while giving Jake a meaningful look.

"Ha. You're right." Jake admited.

There was a breif moment of silence before Jake changed the subject. "So, is it just me or has Nessie actually grown overnight."

"She has grown a half inch since last week. Carlisle predicts she will be the size of a ten year old by her second birthday." Edward informed us.

"Ten? Already? Dang..." Jake's thinking face started to make it's way through his happy one.

"Jacob. _Please._" Edward stressed.

"Sorry. I can't help it. I don't know what to do." He confessed

"Don't know what to do about what?" Renesmee had made her way back outside after her potty break.

"Nessie! Uh..." Jake stammered.

"Jacob's just not sure how he should ware his hair for the wedding tomorrow." Edward interjected. Good save.

Letting out a sigh of releif, Jake played along. "He's right. What should I do?" He asked his child-sized imprint.

"Just ware it like you always do, silly. It's perfect the way it is." She said in a tone that made it seem obvious.

"Thanks, Ness." Jake smiled to her.

Thinking about how badly she reacted to us lying to her about Lester, I was nervous to see how she'll react to her finding out the whole truth to imprinting. She doesn't like being lied to... and that is a pretty big lie...

Edward shot me a look. I shot him one back. I really loved the Cullens, but after Edward punched Jake like that, I didn't care what he thought. He needed to be prepared for the future. It was going to affect us all, not just him. His eyes softened as he shifted his gaze from myself, to his daughter. Suddenly, Jake's cellphone started ringing.

It was Quil who had called. He wanted to see if Renesmee would be interested in playing with Claire today. She accepted and Jake then invited Quil and Claire over to the Cullens' for their play date. Even though Ness was "older" than Claire, they were still close friends. It's amazing how comfortable Claire is around her. They started their friendship appearing to be about the same age, then over time, Ness sprouted above Claire and "grew up" mentally. Claire never questioned why Nessie grows so fast, and Nessie never made Claire feel like she was too young to be friends.

It only took them thirty minutes to get here. The weather was decent today, so the girls wanted to play outside rather than inside. With the potential danger around, they haven't been able to see eachother as often as they used to, so they spent some time cathing up. After that, the girls decided to play dress up. Bella and Rose brought out an array of dresses and jewelry in a box that was decorated like a treasure chest. Quil, Jake, and I gave them some space and aimlessly chatted on the porch while still keeping an eye and ear open for any danger.

"Quil! Jake!" Claire and Renesmee called their wolves over to watch the little fashion show they were putting on. The two guys went over to them, leaving me to sit alone on the porch.

I sat back and watched the four of them. They all seemed so happy. More than happy. Blissful, was a more acurate description. The two guys were "ooing and awing" at each outfit their little imprints twirled around in. They were so lucky. They not only have soulmates, but best friends. They get to be in their lives forever. They got to watch each milestone their imprints went through as they grew. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little jealous... Not that I _wanted_ to imprint on a baby or anything.

Most of the un-imprinted wolves are terrified to imprint on a baby or child. They think it's crazy...But, I think it could be pretty cool. At least Jake and Quil made it seem that way. I still don't see that happening for myself though.

I got up from my seat and went inside the big house. I wasn't suprised to find Esme in the kitchen making lunch for everyone... well everyone who ate human food anyway.

"Seth, darling, how are you doing today?" My second mother asked me.

I walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek "I'm doing great! It's good to see you."

I could tell that statement ment a lot to her. She gave me a warm, motherly smile "It's always a pleasure to see you too." She placed a freezing hand on my cheek. It didn't bother me much.

I just loved Esme. She was truly something special. It's easy to forget that she's a vampire with how nurturing she is. Even though she's ice-cold, she always has a way of warming me up. I would do anything for this woman... just like with my own mother.

"Smells amazing, what's your secret?" I asked as I watched her add some spices to a pot of red sauce. I hope it's for a lasagna.

"Love. It's always love." She smiled at me "The lasagna won't be ready for another thirty minutes."

"Sweet. Do you know where Emmett is?" I asked while looking around the room. I couldn't hear or smell him in the house.

"He's in the garage with Rose. You should join them. They'd be happy to know you're here."

"Thanks" I said to her as I walked through the house to leave out the front door.

Trotting down the front steps, I could hear the couple in the garage. It sounded like Rose was working on her Ashton Martin again.

"I smell dog." I could hear Rosalie say as I walked through the threshold to the large Cullen garage.

"And I smell a princess." I replied to her once inside.

We meet eyes over the popped hood of her car for a breif moment before a smile spread across her perfect face. She closed the hood and walked over to me.

"Hello, Seth. How are you?" Rosalie greeted me while wiping her grease stained hands on an old rag.

"Not bad, not bad." I replied while looking around the garage. I could see Alice's bright, yellow Lamborghini on the farthest side while Emmett's Jeep was parked closer to me. Man, that thing was huge.

My relationship with Rose was a bit different than her and Jake's. She still made dog jokes with me but they actually came off as jokes. We have truly become friends over this past year. It took a while, but after all the time I've spent here, and more specifically the time I've spent with Emmett, she's really warmed up to me.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Emmett made himself known.

"Oh, yeah. Hey man!" I had almost forgot why I came in here.

"Yeah, yeah." He walked over to me and we bumped fists. "So what brings you here?"

"Just needed to kill some time before Esme's lasagnas done." My mouth was watering just thinking about it.

Rose and Em had the exact opposite reaction. They both scrunched up their face in disgust.

I chuckled "You guys are really missing out."

"So we've heard." Rose said quietly.

Suddenly I had a thought "You know... Jake really likes working on cars too. Maybe you could, you know... someday... you guys could work on one together? Sort of like a bonding activity?" I really wished those two could get along like Rose and I did... someday.

"I'm not so sure, Seth. I mean, how would I be able to breathe locked in a garage with his dog smell?" she asked with a discusted look on her face.

"...Well you seem to be handling mine just fine." I countered.

"Well you're different." she snapped.

"Will you two _ever_ become friends?" I asked her with a hopeful tone.

"It's complicated..." she folded her arms.

"Ha. You sound just like Leah." I remember her saying the same thing about Bella on a few occasions.

"Well then she must be very smart. Maybe I should get to know _her_ better." She stuck her nose high in the air.

"So that's a 'no' to the Jake thing?" I chuckled. I knew it was far fetched.

"Seriously, it's like I'm not even here!" Emmett stamped his foot like a whiny toddler.

"Oh! Yeah, my bad dude. Wanna go play some games?" I asked my vampire buddy.

"Ugh, I thought you'd never ask!" He laughed.

We left Rose in the garage and went back inside to play the Playstation. We battled it out on three different games before the food eaters were all called in for lunch.

The lasagna was as scrumptious as I had dreamed it to be. For someone who didn't taste the food, she sure knew how to make it perfectly. Even Renesmee's picky-ness was no match for Esme's meal. At least not today. Who knew how tomorrow would be.

I offered to clean up the dishes, letting Jake and Quil spend more time with their imprints. Claire will need to be home soon and Jake will have to go patrol in about an hour. Embry's shift will be ending soon and I'm sure he'll come over here when he's done. The Cullens' home sort of became our unofficial headquarters. With Jake and I practically living here, and the secluded woods all aorund us, it's the perfect place to meet up with one another.

I was drying off the last wet plate when Carlisle walked through the front door. I could hear him find Esme reading a book in the livingroom. He greeted her with a kiss, then came glidding into the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, Seth. Are you ready for the big day tomorrow?" The head of the house asked me with sincerity.

I smiled at him "Yes sir, all's I have left to do is set up the gazebo and place a few logs on the beach."

"That's nice. I'm very happy for Charlie and Sue. Am I to assume you'll be joining us here for the week following?"

Oh man, I guess I never actually asked if that was okay with him. I just kind of assumed...

"My apologies, Carlisle. I probably should have ask-" he cut me off.

"Don't be ridiculous. Seth, you are family. Marriage or not." He placed a pale hand on my shoulder "You are _always_ welcome here." The vampire gave me a fatherly smile.

That's what I've always loved about Carlisle. He was so caring and supportive. I do my best to hide it, but It's been really hard for me, since my dad died. He used to listen to my problems and give me fatherly advice. My dad always made me feel... what's the word I'm looking for... safe? I guess that's it. Of course, me being a shapeshifter, I don't feel the need to be protected. But, there's just something about having a strong, wise man around that makes me feel like things will be alright. I know, I know, that sounds weird.

Anyway, I feel like Carlisle kind of helped fill that void. Of course he could never replace my dad... but the feelings I get from talking to him always reminded me of when I used to talk to my dad. Carlisle is a good man.

I smiled at the blonde vamp "Thank you."

"No thanks needed. Now, if there's anything we could do to make your extended stay more comfortable, please, do not hesitate to let us know."

"Of course. I really appreciate it." I said truthfully.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish some paperwork" and with that, he retreated to his office.

The rest of the day went on with ease. Alice returned from mom's house and talked wedding details with Esme and Rosalie. When Embry showed up, Jake phased and left to partol. Embry, Emmett, Jasper, and I kept Renesmee bussy while he was gone. Bella and Edward took this time to sneak off alone somewhere. I didn't blame them; they haven't had much time to themselves since Lester became a problem.

When Jake returned from patrol, he, Alice, and myself left the Cullens to go set up for the wedding tomorrow. Leah meet us there as well. Jasper was a bit nervous at his wife going to the res without him, but Jake and I assured him we'd take good care of her. Not that the great Alice Cullen needed our help; she could definitely handle herself. It helped ease Jasper's nerves though.

Alice had insisted I took her car back to my home in Forks while she and Jake ran back to the big house together. I stopped home to pack a bag for the rest of the week, said goodnight to my mother, and then made my way back to the Cullens.

I layed awake in the bed Esme had bought me for the room I shared with Jake here, in the house of vampires. It was much bigger than the bed I have at home. Jake's bed was on the opposite side of the room but he was not in it. Somethimes he likes to sleep as a wolf outside of Renesmee's bedroom window; just incase she needed him. It's been much more often in the past two months so I've been used to having this space to myself. It's funny, in one home, I'm in Bella's old room, and in another, I'm in Edward's old room.

I must have been subconsciously nervous for tomorrow, because I could not find sleep for the life of me. It felt as if the moment I closed my eyes, I was being woken up by Japser. Alice must've sent him in here.

Today was the big day. Time to watch my mother get remarried.

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**A/N: I just love Seth. Any ideas on what will happen next? I promise the Lester drama will pick up, just have to get through some happier chapters first. Thanks for reading!**


	16. The Wedding

**A/N: September was crazy busy for me. Sooo so sorry it took this long! It's been killing me, being away from this story for a month. If you're still reading this, you rock. Enjoy :)**

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**Bella's POV:**

The ceremony went beautifully. My dad, Charlie, had finaly married his fiance, Sue Clearwater, now Clearwater-Swan. The newlyweds looked so happy as they shared their first dance as husband and wife. All their family and closest friends watching along with loving smiles. It reminded me of my own first dance I shared with Edward only two short years ago.

Everything had worked out perfectly. The sun had stayed hidden behind the clouds, but it did not rain. That made it possible for all the Cullens to be here at LaPush today. Alice did an amazing job 'seeing' around the wolves and Renesmee to plan this wedding.

About thirty feet from the shore, a very large gazebo was set up over a wooded floor that had been placed on the sand. Various peices of logs and stumps were also placed around for seating. Wooden tables were piled high with various types of foods and desserts. There was also a hightop table with tall stools surrounding it that served as an open bar. Twinkling lights were strung along the inside of the gazebo to add atmosphere. Sue wanted something more natural and, as usual, Alice delivered.

Their first dance came to an end and that signaled everyone else to start dancing along with them. It was no suprise when Renesmee jumped off of my lap to find "her Jacob" for a dance. She didn't have to go far because he was looking for her too. Edward and I watched as she placed her small hand in his large one before they took off to the dance floor, twirling around with laughter.

"Isn't that sweet?" I asked my husband, who was sitting next to me.

"Yes. They look very natural together." He replied.

I lowered my voice to a whisper "You know... it won't be very long until _they're _the ones sharing a first dance." I wriggled my eyebrows at him.

He matched my whisper "Love... please do not remind me." He pinched the bridge of his nose "I already see enough through Alice's visions."

That suprised me. "She see's them? Together? Like, _together, _together?" I kept my voice as low as possible. There are a lot of supernatural ears around. My child being one of them.

"Various bits and peices, yes. She's been getting better at it... nothing is set in stone though." He reminded me.

"Yes. That is true. Things could always change..." My mind immediately went to Lester's plan to kidnap my baby girl.

"Hey," He looked at me sincerely, "Not today. We've agreed that today would be stress free." He gave me a knowing look.

I lifted a brow "How'd you know? My sheild isn't lifted." I double checked mentally, to make sure.

"Because, I know my wife, and... I'm thinking the same thing." He hung his head slightly.

"Then you should take your own advice." I said with a chuckle.

"Will the both of you wipe those gloomy looks off your faces and stop whispering secrets!?" An estranged Alice made her way over to us while scolding. "For goodness sakes, this is a wedding! Stop acting like depressed teenagers and have some freaking fun for one day in your self- inflicted, stressed-out lives!" She didn't bother with keeping her voice down as we were now getting an audiance.

Thank goodness for Jasper, he swooped in just in time.

"Alright now, Darlin." He grabbed her by the shoulders. "You layed it on them pretty thick. I think they get the point. Now, it's time for _you_ to have some fun." He pulled his tiny wife away from us and onto the dancefloor.

Edward and I shared a look.

"Self-inflicted?" I asked.

"It seems as though our dear sister thinks we over stress ourselves more than what's necessary." He answered my question while looking in Alice's direction. She was probably still scolding him through her thoughts.

"Ah" was all I could say to that. Of course she wouldn't understand. She is not a mother. She doesn't know what it's like to have a peice of your heart living inside of a child. A child who, like me, is a manget for danger.

"Come along, let's show her we can have some fun too." He flashed me my favorite crooked smile.

With my hand placed in his, I let him lead me to the dance floor. It's funny to think how much I would have hated this in my human life. Now, I loved to dance with Edward. I loved to do pretty much anything that involves him. I smiled to myself.

After dancing for a few songs, we decided to take a break. Of course we weren't tired, but we still needed to keep up appearances to the human guests. Carlise had been called into the hospital so Esme decided to head home when he left. Rosalie and Emmett went with her. I was suprised Rose lasted as long as she did. This definitely wasn't the most comfortable occasion. Being a vampire in a place where "cold ones" aren't considered myths isnt exactly smart on our end, but I wasn't going to let anyone stop me from being at my father's wedding.

Speaking of Charlie, I haven't gotten the chance to congratulate him yet. By sniffing out the crowd, I was easily able to locate him at the little bar. Shaking my head, I walked over to him.

"I don't think your wife would appreciate you getting drunk on your wedding night." I said with a rised brow.

He spun around on the stool he was occupying to face me. He smiled brightly as he stood to meet me.

"Aw, c'mon Bells. It's just one beer. I don't think she'll mind." He was smiling so hard, I could literally _feel_ his happiness.

"I'm just giving you crap, Dad. I'm really happy for you." I stepped closer to him and brought him into a hug. When my skin made contact with his, he flinched. After a short moment, he relaxed and began hugging me back.

Normally, I am extremely cautious to not make contact with him; doing everything I can to keep him comfortable with being around me. Today, I didn't care. Soon, he will find out the truth about me and the rest of the Cullens. My dad will know I married a vampire, and that I have become one as well. He will know why his granddaughter grows so quickly, and why she and Jacob have such a close relationship. He will know that all those "animal attacks" over the years were just cover ups for vampire feedings. He will know _everything_.

Suddenly, the thought of him rejecting me after knowing set in. What if he isn't okay with any of this? What if he never wants to see me, or my daughter, again? Digging my head further into his chest, I took in a very deep breath, cementing Charlie's scent into my memory. I ignored the burning in my throat and the venom pooling in my mouth as a response. I needed to remember everything about him that I could incase this was the last time we would be together.

"You okay, Bells?" He asked over the top of my head.

I let out the breath I was holding "Yeah, I'm great, Dad. I'm just so happy for you."

Releasing him from my hug, I quickly studied his face. I could see he was already appearing older as the time passed. Grey hairs were making themselves more prominent in his brown curls and mustache. He had deep lines setting in from all the smiles and laughter of today. This was nice to see; I've never seen him so happy and carefree before. I cemented this image into my memory because this was how I wanted to remember him. Not hurt or betrayed like he would be after he finds out what I am.

"Thanks, Kid. That means a lot, coming from you." He flashed me another smile.

I returned the smile and squeezed his hands, ever so lightly. "Just know that I love you. Always."

"Well... I love you too." He half mumbled as his face slowly turned red.

I chuckled at that. Charlie was never one for sharing feelings.

Some of his friends from work approached us, also wanting to congratulate the groom. I excused myself so they could chat and decided to also grab a drink from the bar. Of course I would not _actually __drink_ it, but appearing as if I were would help me fit in. Walking around aimlessly with my champagne glass full, I looked around at all of the faces that were gathered here today. Well, those that were left anyway. Some of the guests have already started to leave, mostly those with small children. My searching was abruptly ended when my eyes connected with my new sister, Leah.

She was very pretty in her pale lavander dress that flowed down to her feet. It was strapless so her pack tatoo was showing proudly. Her hair was in a half ponytail so you could see more of her face that usual. Her eyes held an emotion I couldn't quiet place. I was nervous about approaching, but I needed to talk to her. I hoped that if we had a heart to heart, she would come around. Though, by judging the look on her face, I wasn't so sure she'd be up for it.

I was thoroughly suprised when _she_ made the first move twords _me_. Looks like she wanted to talk afterall.

"We need to talk." She demanded.

Her arms were crossed over her abdomen and her left hand held an emtpy glass that matched my own. She'd been drinking.

I unnecessarily cleared my throat, "Yes, I was thinking the same."

"Good. So this will be quick then." She said with some hostility.

Oh, maybe this wasn't going to be the "heart to heart" I was hoping for. It was probably for the best, because she reeked of champagne. Though, It did help mask the dog smell.

She took a deep breath in and let it out through her mouth. "I'm sorry."

I blinked a few times. Wait. What? Did I hear her correctly? Well, of course I did. Vampires heard everything correctly. I just couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, I said it." Leah unfolded her arms and put her free hand on her hip.

"But... but, why?" I aksed in disbelief.

"Look, I know we've never seen eye to eye on anything... and I know most of that falls on me, but our parents are married now so we're going to be stuck with eachother."

"Yes, we are going stuck with eachother but, that doesn't have to be a bad thing, Leah. We can make this work, if given the chance." I said with my tone hopeful.

"So I've been told..." She trailed off and her focus went past me to someone else. I turned and followed her gaze to see a cleaned up Seth joking around with Rodney and his new imprint, Tara.

I returned my gaze back to Leah. She had a somber look on her face.

"I thought you leache- I mean... I thought, _you guys_, couldn't drink alcohol." She snickered while eyeing my full glass.

Ignoring her almost-insult, I raised it up slightly "Oh, this? This is just a prop to help me fit in." I said with a whisper, "I _could_ drink it if I _had _to, but then I'd have to throw it up later." I chuckled at the thought.

"Hmm." She appeared to be pondering something. Suddenly, in one swift movement, we had switched glasses. In her hand was my full glass and I now held her empty one.

She gave me a wink, "There. _No__w_ you'll fit in." Her tone was much softer now.

I laughed, "Thanks."

We starred at eachother for a few moments before Leah tilted her head back and downed the bubbly liquid. When she was finished, she slowly let a smile rest on her face.

"So, we good?" She asked with all signs of hostility gone from her voice and body language. Finally.

"Yes. We're good. Glad we had this talk." I smiled at her. It didn't go as planned, but I'll take it.

"Same." She half-smiled back.

Something over her shoulder caught my attention. It was Embry standing a good distance away. He was dressed up nicely with black dress pants and a white button up with his sleeves rolled up. Looks like he ditched the jacket and tie hours ago. What really caught my attention was how intensely Embry was staring in our direction. After a split-second, I realized he was staring specifically at _Leah. _Wait, was his mouth open? As soon as Embry noticed me looking back at him, he quickly turned away.

I leaned in closer to Leah and whispered, "Hey, can I tell you something? Sister to sister?

She looked a little thrown off but nodded her head, "Sure, yeah. Whatever."

"I think you have an admirer." I said in the quietest tone I could so that Embry wouldn't hear.

She let out a loud and obnoxious laugh.

"Yeah, right!" She continued to laugh. "That was a good one though. You're pretty funny."

Goodness, how many drinks has she had today?

"Leah, I'm serious!" Why would she think I'd joke about something like that?

"Sure. Look, I'm glad we had this chat, but I need another drink. I'll see you tomorrow for Nessie's training sesh. Later Bella." With that she took off twords the bar.

I shook my head. It was so obvious that Embry likes Leah. I wonder how long that's been going on for? And, who else knew? I just hoped that Leah could find some happiness, and soon. She deserves it.

I felt a presence behind me and knew it belonged to none other than my husband.

"I'm happy for you, Love." Edward said to me as he snaked his arms around my waist.

"I think that was the best case scenario."

He chuckeled, "Definitely. She means well. She's just..."

"...Leah?" I finished his thought.

"Precisely." I felt his lips smile against my ear.

"Hey, what was Embry thinking a moment ago when he was starring at Leah?"

"Now, Bella. You know I don't go around revealing a person's personal thoughts. That's not what a respectable mind-reader does." He teased.

I turned around to face him, still in his arms. "Please, just this once? I won't repeat it. Please, Edward, I _have_ to know."

His lip twitched slightly, his eyes shifted quickly to Embry then back to me.

"Umm...I'd rather not repeat most of the uh... _things_... he was thinking. They are not appropriate." His face held a mixture of amusement and disgust.

I blinked in suprise "...Oh! So, I was right then?"

"Very much so. Yes." He smiled hard.

"How long have you known?" Seriously, he didn't think I'd want to know about this?

"A year."

My eyebrows shot up in more suprise, "That long? Wow! He must be going through hell while they're phased."

"You have no idea. Now, come along. I wasn't finished dancing with my wife." I let him lead me to the dance floor yet again while I thought about how cute Embry and Leah would be together.

* * *

**Embry's POV:**

Damnit! I needed to get ahold of myself. I was so stupid to let Bella catch me starring like that. Hopefully she doesn't say anything. I just couldn't help myself though. Leah looks so amazing today.

The light color purple looked damn good against her skintone and the satin fabric clung to her curves in a way I've never seen before. Her full lips were glossy and delicous looking. Her dress was strapless so I could easily see the cleavage she usually kept hidden. Her pack tattoo looked extra sexy with her bare arms showing, just adding to her "badass" demeanor. Hot damn, this girl was a perfect ten.

I've never seen her like this and probably won't again for a long time. Not until someone else gets married, anyway. I wanted to burn this image into my brain so it would last a lifetime. God, why does she do this to me? Does she even know how fine she is?

_Ok Embry. You need to calm down. There are too many people here. Now's_ not _the time for a boner_.

I shook my head and walked over to where Seth, Rodney and Tara were all goofing off at. Hopefully some mindless chatter will help me shake some of this lust. Anything to keep my mind off Leah's ass. _Her perfectly sculpted ass..._

"Embry!" Seth nearly shouted at me.

"Huh? What?" Was I zoned out? Dang, I think I was starring again. Shit, now I'm starting to sweat.

"Hey, man. What's gotten into you?" Rodney asked with a concerned look.

_More like 'What I'm trying to get into'. No! Bad Embry!_

"Eh, you know," I fidgeted with some buttons on my shirt "weddings aren't really my thing, man. Too much mushy stuff." _I bet her lips are soft and mushy. STOP!_

Out the corner of my eye I could see Seth giving me a look. The same look from when he caught me outside Leah's house yesterday morning. He's definitely on to me. Maybe being this close to him was a bad idea. He could probably smell the lust. Fuck. _Play it cool, __don't get paranoid._

I cleared my throat, "Speaking of mushy, you two are looking pretty locked down." I said twords Rodney and his imprint, Tara. "You literally just meet eachother yesterday."

The two of them shared a smile as they drew closer to eachother. I don't even think they were aware of their movement. "We know it's a little fast but, when you know... you know! You know?" Tara said while giggling. Imprinting was weird.

I couldn't say she was wrong though. I do know. Without permission, my eyes wandered to where Leah was sitting alone at the bar. God, what I wouldn't give to be able to just walk up to her and tell her how I felt about her. To tell everyone how I felt about her. Why couldn't we have just imprinted? That would have made this so much easier.

"Well, I'm happy for you. You look good together." And I meant it.

That seemed to have caught Seth by suprise. He gave me a suspicious look.

I waved him off "Yeah, yeah. I can be sweet and shit. Stop looking at me."

Seth raised his hands defensively, "Hey, I didn't say anything." He then flashed a smile.

"Good... I'll catch you guys later." I said to them as I walked away. I needed to clear my head before this gets out of hand. I was seriously off my game today.

I decided to get another drink from the bar. I was disappointed to find that Leah was no longer sitting here. Probably for the best. She doesn't feel anything for me and refuses to date a pack member anyway. It'd be smart if I didn't creep her out. She _is_ the second in command. She commands, and deserves, respect. Not unwanted sexual advances. _Though, I'd be happy to oblige if she wante- No! No more!_

The bartender poured up my shot of Tequila and scooted the tiny glass twords me. I smirked. That wasn't going to cut it. Being a high-temp, high metabolism wolf meant it was going to take a lot more than that to do the job. Instead, I grabbed the bottle from his hands and pushed the shot glass back in his direction.

"Thanks." I said to him ignoring the disaproving look he gave me. Knowing the Cullens would be stiffing the bill, I didn't feel bad. I just shrugged my shoulders at him and got to work.

Ah. Tequila. This would do just fine. It affected the humans pretty good so this bottle should be all I needed to at least get buzzed. The two beers I had earlier did absolutely nothing to calm my nerves.

"You better not get plastered." Commanded my alpha.

I turned slighlty in my stool to see Jacob giving me a hard look with his arms folded over his chest. It reminded me of when I was little, and my mom would have my uncle come over to "encourage" me to behave. I chuckeld at the memory.

"Don't worry, Captain. I've got it." I said waiving him off.

"I mean it, Embry. Now's not the time for slip ups. Just because today was happy and fun, does not mean we are letting our gaurd down. We need to be prepared for-"

I cut him off, "-Lester. Yeah, yeah. I know. We all know. No one has forgotten. Just relax, man."

He took in a deep breath. "In honor of Charlie and Sue, I'm going to let that one slide. But, I swaer to God, Embry, if you are not at one- hundred percent tomorrow, I will have your ass."

I _reeaally _wanted to make a joke about that, but decided against it. Jake does not look like he's in the joking mood right now. I took another pull from the bottle instead.

He continued, "We need to go over preparations for the trip. You'll be heading out in eight days."

"Yeah..." I dragged on, "About that..." I looked around the remaining guests before I quietly asked "Is there any way someone else could take my place? Like, _anyone _else?"

With his nostrils flared, he raised a brow and asked "Why the hell for? What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on, I just... I don't think I should be the one to go is all. I should be here, holding down the fort."

"That's what Sam, the Cullens, and I will be here for. I want you to go. You're perfect for the job."

I smiled to myself. I am pretty perfect,

aren't I? But, no. I can't go. I cannot be out there as a wolf that long. Not with Leah. It would take _everything _to keep my mind completely free of her for days...It would be torture.

"What about Seth?" I asked the question as it popped into my brain.

"No. You will go. With Leah. End of discussion." Damnit. I hated when he used the 'alpha voice' on me.

I sighed heavily "Okay, okay. Understood."

He nodded once just as his halfling imprint came up to us.

"Ewww. That stuff smells bad. How do you drink it?" Renesmee asked me as she pinched her nose in disgust.

I looked down at her with a serious look on my face but teased "Only the strongest can survive drinking this."

That seemed to have ruffled her feathers. "Give it here, I'm strong!" Nessie challenged.

Apparently, that was all Jake could handle. He clapped his hands once "Okay! Time for us to go! Nessie, It's close to your bedtime anyway. Say goodbye to Embry."

With disappointment writted on her face she huffed "Bye" as she was dragged away by her wolf. I continued to watch them leave as they approached Edward and Bella sitting on one of the log benches. Jacob handed Ness over to Edward as the four of them made their way to the car and then drove away. Finally looking around at something other than my half-gone Tequila bottle, I noticed it was getting dark already. Damn. where had the day gone?

At this point, pretty much everyone had left except most of the wolves, their imprints, and some teenagers that were just hanging around on the beach. Charlie and Sue had already been ushered away, by Alice, to the airport to start their honeymoon. They were uneasy about leaving so soon, but when you're dealing with the pixie vamp, there's just no point in arguing. I decided to walk along the shore to clear my head. I wasn't ready to go home yet and I was still working on this bottle.

The sand felt amazing between my toes. It was cool and squishy from the tide coming up and receding. I was getting impatient with how slowly the liqour was taking to hit my system, so I downed the last third of it in a few quick gulps. I revelled in the burn that spread from my throat, to my stomach, then out to the rest of my body. If that doesn't get me drunk, I don't think anything could.

After a few more paces, it seemed as if it all hit me at once. I tripped over a stick that was half buried in the sand and fell flat on my face. It didn't hurt anything but my pride. I decided this was a good spot to plant my ass and sulk alone. When the tide came back in, I stayed still as ocean soaked my pants. I sat there for what seemed like hours, just thinking. Drunkenly, thinking. Why was I even drunk in the first place? What the hell am I doing?

I heard some soft steps in the dryer sand coming from behind me. I didn't care who it was, I just needed to be alone right now. I shut my eyes tight and said "Go away. I don't want company." Damn it. I'm pretty sure I'm slurring my words.

"Sorry, didn't think anyone else would be out here." Said a lovely, lady voice.

It sounded so familiar but I couldn't recognize who it came from. All the booze in my system made my senses dull. I couldn't even smell her.

"I'll find somewhere else to-"

Suddenly, my dumb brain finally registered who the voice belonged to. I snapped my eyes wide open and turned around to make sure I wasn't delusional. I wasn't! It was really her! Panic started to set in now at the thought of her leaving.

"No! No, stay. Sorry... I didn't know it was you." I rambled.

"...You sure?" She asked with hesitation.

"Yes. Sit. Please." I gestured to the wet sand all around me.

"I'll sit, but not there." Leah gracefully sat down in the patch of dry sand a few feet behind me. She then folded her legs to one side to accommodate the dress she was wearing.

I rolled over so I was on my hands and knees then did a few crawls twords her. Sitting myself upright with my legs out straight, I noticed my dress pants were completely soaked and covered in sand. I thanked the universe that Alice wasn't here to see this.

"Good, God. Embry, did you drink that whole bottle... alone?" Leah asked in disbelief while looking down at something.

I looked down to what her eyes were focused on and realized I had dragged the empty bottle with me. It was now sitting in my lap like it was my baby or something. _Real classy, Embry._

"Hey, no judging." I faked whined.

She let out a loud laugh then held up her own almost-empty bottle to the moonlight. "No judgements here."

"Champagne. Nice." I nodded in approval.

"It was... two bottles ago. Now it just tastes like water." She paused as we shared a look before breaking out into fits of laughter.

We sat in silence for a bit, just listening to the sound of the ocean and the creatures of the night. In the distance we could hear some teenaged kids dancing and laughing around a small bonfire. This was really nice, just sitting here with her.

"So, we both know why I got trashed today... What's your excuse?" She gave me more serious look now.

Well damn. Was not expecting this. I had zero intentions on talking about my feelings. Especially with her. But what do I say? Should I lie, or just tell her the truth? More panic started to set in. What was I going to do? Fuck! I wish I wasn't so wasted right now, then I'd probably be able to think this through. I came to the resolution that I should just be honest with her. Honesty was the best policy, right? I took in a deep breath, preparing to lay it all out there. Preparing myself for utter rejection.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, she said "It's okay, you don't have to tell me. I don't really care anyway." I let out a sigh of relief.

We went back to sitting in silence, just gazing up at the clouds. It would have been great to see some stars tonight, but that was just not going to happen here in Washington.

Suddenly a thought popped into my mind. Without looking at her, I blurted out "Can I ask you something?"

I knew better than to ask, but I figured now was the the best time. I could always use the 'I was drunk' excuse if she comes after me tomorrow, but I just _had_ to know.

"I suppose..." She trailed off.

Alright, here goes nothing. "Well...When you ran away-"

"Embry!" She cut my question off.

"I know, I know... I'm sorry." Why did I even think that would work?

A few more minutes went by in silence before she sighed in defeat "Ugh. What is it?"

Since this was obviously still a touchy subject for her, I made sure to say each word with caution. "Of all the places you could have went... Why Minnesota?"

"There is no reason... It's stupid." She huffed and looked away from me.

"Leah, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying. C'mon, it's just us. I won't judge. I bet it's not stupid." I said as I nudged her shoulder with mine.

She took a moment to study my face before answering the million dollar question. This was something the whole pack wanted to know but had been too afraid to ask. When she finally spoke, her voice was almost a whisper.

"I didn't plan on going there, at first. When I phased, _that day_, I was just trying to get out of here. Get away from it all, you know?" Her eyes were firmly locked on mine. I nodded once to let her know I was listening.

"Then..." she looked up to the cloud covered moon and continued, "Then... _something_ grabbed my attention. It happened while I was in Canada. I don't exactly know what it was, it's very difficult to explain. The only thing I could describe it as would be a... _pull_ of some sort."

I caught on to what she was getting at, "You were drawn there."

Leah nodded her head, "Yes. Something drew me in." She took in a shakey breath before continuing, "So... being the desperate person that I am, I followed it."

Hearing her decribe herself as 'desperate' hurt my heart. I don't see her that way, not at all. When she didn't continue, I asked "What did you find?"

She shook her head "Nothing. I followed the pull in hopes that it would lead me to my so- called 'soulmate'. Everyone talks about this 'magical pull' a wolf has to their imprint so I thought that maybe, that was it. I eneded up in some heavily wooded area in the Northern part of Minnesota. There was nothing around. No cities. No people. No animals. Nothing."

Wow. I had no idea. Of course, while I was phased, I could see _where_ Leah was, but she always hid the _why_. Jake thought she was just trying to imprint at random. No one knew she had actual reasoning behind it. No wonder it was such a touchy subject for her. I honestly didn't even know what to say, but I had to say _something._

"I'm sorry." I said to her genuinely.

"Ha. Don't be. I was stupid to think I'd actually find my soulmate. I'm pretty positive I don't even have one." Leah's voice was strong, but her body language betrayed her. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins, holding them tightly.

Without thinking about it, I placed my arm around her shoulder. "Hey, don't say that, Leah. There's someone out there for you. I know there is."

"I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, Embry, but I'm good. I don't need anyone's pitty." She shrugged my arm off.

It was my turn to shake my head. "I don't pitty you. Pitty is for the weak. You and I both know who's the strongest here." I gave her a smirk.

"You bet your ass I'm the strongest." She joked while giving me a light punch on the arm.

After another hour of iddle chit-chat, laughter, and just joking around, Leah announced that it was time for her to go home. I had started to sober up and was good enough to walk again, so I offered to walk her home. As we approached her small house, we slowed our steps.

"Thank you, Embry, for walking me home. Although, I'm sure I could have handled anything that came my way." She chuckled.

"Doesn't matter. You're still a lady. Ladies get walked home."

"Well, thanks." She turned to unlock the front door and paused "And, um... Thanks for listening to me, you know, _earlier. _It kind of felt good to get it all out."

"Anytime. Thank _you_ for answering my question." Seriously, I thought she'd kill me for asking.

She pushed the door open "Well, see you tomorrow for training."

"I'll be there... and, Leah?"

She paused to look at me, "Yeah?"

"It wasn't stupid." I stated firmly with my eyes locked on hers.

She gave me a small smile just before quickly kissing my cheek and rushing inside her home.

I stood there, like an idiot, just blinking. Was I dreaming? How many times was I going to be left outside this women's house looking dumb? Shaking off some of the shock I was in, I headed to the Cullen's. Everyone there would be awake so I wouldn't distrupt anyone by stumbling in so late. I pulled out my phone to check the time. 1:23am. My mom would be pissed if I woke her now.

As I was walking, a text message came in. It read: _"If you tell __anyone __about tonight, I will kill you :) -Leah"_

A huge smile spread across my face. So, I wasn't dreaming! With a new found pep in my step, I picked up the pace thinking about the last four hours. I thought about the things Leah said, the sound of her laughter, and most importantly, her lips on my face.

I was right. They were soft and mushy.

* * *

**A/N: Okaayyyy, what do you think? Do we like Embry with Leah? Why was Leah lead to nothing? Will Charlie freak when he finds out the truth? Will I take forever to update? Please Review!**


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